


A Sweet VTuber Nightmare 3: Happy Endings

by ZabiHakuhei



Series: VTuber World [6]
Category: Hololive, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters, virtual youtubers
Genre: Alcohol, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Awkward Romance, Drama, Drama & Romance, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Foursome - F/F/F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Minor Original Character(s), Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Romance, Rough Sex, Sex, Smoking, Smut, Swearing, Threesome - F/F/M, Timelines, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:53:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 88,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25875421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZabiHakuhei/pseuds/ZabiHakuhei
Summary: Previously I had announced the story would end at SVTN2. But, a month later these ideas started filling my mind, concepts of, "Happy Ending routes" for characters that appeared on the story and made me feel the way I portrayed them was unfair, these thoughts continued filling my mind until I had to write them down. These "Happy Endings" will be really short, some of them will have considerable low to none sexual content, others will have as much as the first two storiesAnd now, as always, this necessary message:The one above is a work of fiction inspired entirely by Virtual Youtubers. You must, by all circumstances behave nicely and as for proper as needed with the people behind these characters, as they're real people with real lives and feelings. No part of this work must be taken out of context is a work of fiction and must remain as it.PS: Please read the first stories for the context needed since SVTN3 is filled with spoilers.11-25-20: Give a look to my own VTuber project the seventh part!12-02-20: Make sure to read all Opening and Ending Notes of all chapters to keep at day regardless if you read that specific chapter or not!
Series: VTuber World [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609138
Kudos: 17





	1. My Mornings With You (Pekora's Happy Ending)

In the mixed aroma of early drizzle and fresh unadulterated air in a city slowly waking up, the temperature gradually rises from the outside as the sun goes over the heads of the buildings, pink ethereal colors in the sky when the rays of light are caught by the partially contaminated clouds; and the two-beat vibration of a Smartphone near the head of a bed, and the dripping, slurping sound of an automated coffee maker machine, all together form the closest of the most tranquil, most perfect way for a citizen to open their eyes on a day of August.

_ “You up?” _

But Takumi ignored the messages pilling up on his mail inbox, groaning as he mistook the buzz with the usual alarm ringing, he still stood from the bed and went to wash his face, brush his hair and teeth. It has been a long time since he moved to that new place, a bit smaller than the one from before, but cheaper, “realistic” for him; he came back to his room and took the phone, noticing with a smile the paint in the sky from the crystal-glass doors, Takumi hurried to open the lock and slide the door, take a picture and sent it through a message to the person responsible of waking him up.

_ “Ah… you’re awake!” _

_ “The dawns in the city sure are beautiful peko, orange, and pink.” _

The replies made him smile once again, he looked for a change of clothes to remove his pajama, jeans and a white button shirt, with a quick spray of perfume on his wrists to spread around his neck, he took the phone again.

_ “Thinking about buying breakfast today, too lazy to do some, do you want me to buy you the usual?” _

_ “Sure peko!” _

The keys of his apartment were right at the receiver, after the living room with a wall of photo pictures, after a kitchen who hasn’t seen the touch of decent cooking arts for a while, almost forsaken, after the lackluster hallway, after the tidy room he came from. The man took one last look around the place with an empty stare, hold on the keys, and left. Walking down the stairs feeling the warmth of immature sunlight still struggling against the leftover breeze, his head void of major thoughts only taking attention of the drifting from car drivers at the street lights and the long, loud chain sound from the owners of shops and stall rising their metal fences as he left the neighborhood and went near of the center of the city.

Visiting a bakery around six and a half, already with a growing queue, he lines with the rest of people, all of them working on their acting skills, pretending the smell of baked goods, cheese, meat, and sugar is something they can handle.

_ “Why did you wake up so early?” _

_ “Eh, isn’t too late to ask that peko? You didn’t even say ‘good morning’ peko.” _

_ “Good morning.” _

_ “Aye, good boy.” _

_ “So? Did you stay awake all night again?” _

_ “Nah peko, mom woke me up from her cleaning up the house.” _

_ “What if you help her now that you’re awake?” _

_ “What if you do your breakfast for once peko?” _

_ “Ah, is that so? Guess you don’t want the creampuffs then.” _

_ “Stop bullying me so peko early! Fine, I’m sorry… hey.” _

_ “Yes?” _

_ “Bring them home, would you?” _

_ “Eh, you’re not coming? But, I haven’t been to your place once yet.” _

_ “All cool peko, and is time for mom to meet you.” _

_ “… Fine.” _

_ “Hahaha, look at you peko, getting all nervous, how peko cute.” _

Paying up the cashier and taking a couple of brown paper bags, warm and slightly soaked in the grease sweated by the bread, Takumi stopped at the nearest bus station in the corner and found his ride coming 15 minutes later. The city buildings shrinking in size, the already buzz of traffic and people’s steps disappearing the farter the bus drove, leaving only the noise of its engine left. Pressing the stop signal near a neighborhood of houses he only recognized at the last minute, he dropped out the vehicle and walked the rest of the way up to a house, already feeling uncomfortable stares from a couple of people cleaning the entrances of their homes, he rang the bell and almost instantly, the small fence reacted with an electric chirp and split open. Gulping down saliva, Takumi fixes the neck of his shirt waiting in front of the door when Pekora, still with bedroom eyes and wearing a lousy pink pajama two-piece set, opens it for him.

“Give me,” Is the first thing she says, puffy slippers and a pillow under her right arm, leaning on the chest of the man and slightly opening her mouth.

“Where’s the ‘good morning’ now? You little brat,” Takumi replies with a chuckle, opening one of the bags, taking a still-warmth puff with the tips of fingers, placing it over the mouth of the girl, shaking and licking his hand clean.

“Uhm… Uhm! Ohm! Hmn-hmnh!” Pekora squirms with her cheeks muffled on sweet bread, opening her eyes the more the sugar melts on her mouth, slowly munching, then giving the man a smile with bits of sugar on a side of her cheek, “Morning, hurry up and let’s scare mom peko.”

“Eh, that’s why you told me to come here?” Takumi stutters when being pulled from the wrist by the girl, hastily taking his shoes off on the drawer room, and doing a skillful skip to don’t trip on the hallway to the living room.

“Well is just something that I peko realized it would happen when she gets to see you so,” She snorts on her usual mischievous tone, “Let’s make it happen already… hey mom! Today a friend came to visit peko! We’ll be in my room so knock before entering ok?” 

“Wait- Oh God you always do something like this,” The man stutters once again feeling a bit of cold from the nerves when a figure appears from the other side of the room, of an adult figure similar to the one of Pekora, wearing an apron and a roll cleaner, “Pleasf…!” He spouts on an attempt to present himself, but the words, unable to come out, just spook the mother and made the daughter laugh.

“Holy hell a monster!” The woman screamed acutely and pointed to Takumi with the index, “This is your friend?! Where did you meet a man like this? How did he even fit the door?!” She handed a questionnaire which just fueled the volume of Pekora’s laughter.

“Well peko, he is a bit more of a friend, aren’t you glad your daughter has the skill to fish a hottie like this?” The bunny-girl presumes with eloquence, trying to pull a defiant pose while pointing at Takumi with the back of her hand, like presenting a trophy to her mother, “With that said, Takumi and I will be in my room okie peko?” She reminds her one more time with the swing of her finger, then proudly walks beside her still speechless mom, while the man just makes a shy reverence, and follows the girl from behind with a stiff walk. “Oh, the look on her face… hah, it was exactly how I thought it would be,” Pekora tells trying to calm down, opening the door of her room to him, it was rather spacious and clean, giving an air of both a mature and girly presence, organized but a bit mild in colors, “Hurry up and bring another of those peko, I still should have some tea…” She explains while kneeling in front of a mini-fridge which she opens looking for a tall green bottle and couple of steam frozen, plastic glasses, “Found ‘em peko!” The girl exclaims and sits on the floor, extending her torso to a corner of the room to pull a night table and place in the middle of the room, “C’mon peko, give me my bag!” She smiled brightly.

“Fine, fine, the sugar got you upbeat already, geez,” Takumi sighs faking annoyance, hiding a smile, sitting in the other side of the table and unpacking the content of the paper bags, croissant, and cream puffs, this time using the napkins, “Say I kind of can’t ignore what you told your mom a moment ago,” He brings up as he breaks the corner of a croissant and places it on his mouth, looking at the bunny-girl serve the tea on the glasses and share one with him, “That you called me ‘a bit more of a friend’ back there…”

“Obviously a joke peko!” She answered fast like lighting with a snort, giving no time for the man to shield himself, “Don’t get funny ideas, it was just to get a good scare from her peko.”

“Huh, well  _ sorry _ for taking it seriously,” Takumi groaned a bit offended, but in the end, both laughed and continued having breakfast together, exchanging pieces of bread with each other. It has been a certain time since Aqua married to Mea, and in a surprise turn of events, the person who showed up to Takumi and extended her hand was Pekora. Since that onwards a friendship has been being built between the two, at first, it was Pekora the one went to his place, then the visits went from sporadic to regular, up to this day, inside this room.

“Oh don’t be like that, you know I think of you of a great buddy peko, we are besties peko!” The girl counters with an honest smile that manages to make Takumi fluster.

“I know… Although friends don’t have sex,” He chuckled obnoxiously, making Pekora squirm from his words.

“SHUSH IT!” The girl cries all red while gesturing with a finger over her mouth, carefully looking at the closed door, suddenly agitated with heavy breathing, “You sure can’t take a joke geez; I can’t believe you bring that out all of a sudden!” Pekora quietly screams, looking at the last piece of croissant on the side of Takumi, taking it and gulping it down all angry, “After… all this time!” She babbled with her mouth stuffed, slowing down on her tantrum, turning redder, and looking aside, “That was… We were both sad that day… and I here I thought… it felt good for you.”

Takumi stops for a second, both from her words, and from not being able to save his breakfast from getting eaten, he leans a little with his hands behind his back and groans with flustered cheeks, “It felt good for me… and you?”

“Are you serious-…” She bit on her words from the embarrassment and the croissant, finished gulping down, and took a sip of tea, still as red as before, “It felt good… you were nice with me,” Pekora then slaps her cheeks and scratches her hair with a frustrated cry, “Why are we talking about this so early in the morning peko?! Leave it at that! I’m going to change peko,” She explains standing up and walking to her bathroom, a hand appears just seconds later to throw her pajamas and underwear out of the door, the sound of the shower filling the silence left by the two.

“I couldn’t even apologize…” Takumi whispers with a sigh, taking his time to inspect with his eyes the room of the girl, he notices a large piece of wood hanging on the wall that calls on his attention, “Hey, is this your guitar?” He shouts from the other side of the room, standing up from the floor and touching the threads with the tips of his fingers.

_ “Oh yeah! I haven’t used it in a while, would you mind tune it for me?” _ Pekora shouts back, her voice drowned in the gap of the pouring water and the door between.

“Sure,” He replies pulling it down from the strap, he places it on his shoulder and sits on the bed, trying to play a bit chord to check on the tune, he stops for a moment and looks at it with detail, the little scars in the wood from the wear, leftover of stickers on the corners, and peculiar triangle shape inside the dusty neck revealing the past holding of a plectrum.

_ “How is it going by the peko way? Your new job I mean,” _ Pekora wonders and opens a new conversation from the bathroom, her voice calmer from before.

“Giving guitar lessons is… well, my coworkers say I have a knack for teaching, they’re the only ones for what I can say I’m doing well on my job,” Takumi vaguely explains, lost on the attempt to fix the instrument back into shape, “Teaching to kids it’s a drag though.”

_ “HAHAHA, YOU’RE TEACHING KIDS?!” _ The bunny-girl snorts dastardly from her side, Takumi holding a frustrated breathe,  _ “Those poor little things peko, hope you aren’t being rough to them.” _

“Of course not, what do you take me for?!” He replies growing annoyed, the shower noises finally stop, and after a couple of minutes, Pekora comes out with a small cloud of invisible steam, drying her ears with a towel, yet not covering the rest of her body, “Oh… oh wow…”

“Hehehe you’re so cute peko,” She giggles still paying detailed attention to her long ears, walking to a side of her room, “Just so you know peko, this doesn’t mean anything, in fact, peko, is because I feel fine with you I can do this,” Pekore explains, checking on the cabinets of her wardrobe for a new pick of underwear, the man silently staring at her naked back and the way her bones on the spine show when she bids to wear her panties.

“Somehow that sounds really bad,” He stutters with nervous laughter, “But I’ll just take the part of ‘feel fine with you’ and ignore the rest,” He continues, blushing when his eyes pose on her buttocks and going back to finish tuning the guitar, “We… we should play someday, you know?” Takumi hurries to bring a new subject, but Pekora just giggles.

“Yes, you awkward giant dude, we should play someday peko,” She expresses looking for a strange combination of blue-jean short and a shirt, taking a comb and sitting beside Takumi, “Tell me more about your new life as a teacher peko, I want to hear more,” Her voice changed once again from the same minutes ago on the bathroom, full of honesty, full of a mature and serious self, she gave him a bright smile and started combing on her hair, starting from the right side.

It was in days like these when both could take a break from their routines that they met. The conversations were always a bit dull, they would interrupt and tease each other, mock each other, Takumi would find himself falling over the playful attitude of Pekora then seconds later being surprised by her mature personality, an educated and respectful girl and a cunning, scheming brat mixed together in one, both sides taking turns to show up, never stopping the comebacks, never stopping her sweet expressions of care, it was always like that for the two, until the red evenings announcing the end of the day. “Is already this hour I didn’t notice, guess I’ll take my leave now,” Takumi tells when checking on his phone, they were both lying on the same bed, doing nothing but talk, he got up with a snore and fixed his hair with a hand, the bunny-girl from the other side followed slowly with a silent stare, “… Yes, may I help you?” He wonders with the usual sarcasm, but Pekora remains silent, and after a couple of minutes of looking at each other faces, Takumi leaned on her slowly, giving her a kiss on the lips, Pekora replied back slowly, with eyes closed, blushing and slowly sighing, “Your lips are cold, Pekora.” He suggests trying to tease her.

“Yours are warm…” She replies back to his surprise, with a small and shy voice, “I’m sorry that must have been confusing, I, is just…” Pekora looks down while stumbling on her words, “These past hours’ peko… I spent the entire time thinking about kissing you peko, even though I was the one who said these kinds of things wouldn’t happen again…” She raised her face with a bittersweet smile, “Why is that, even though we keep doing nothing but talk crap, these times together with you, I like them so much peko,” She finished, with her usual, cheeky smile.

“I…” Takumi attempted to reply and then bit his lip unable to finish the sentence.

“Yes?” Pekora wonders with curiosity.

“… I still have to leave,” He finished with a sigh, scratching the back of his head when looking at her, forcing a smile.

“… R-right you do!” She chuckled awkwardly and with a violent swift of her arms, she jumped out of the bed, “Let’s get to it,” Pekora tells, almost copying the gestures of the man, Takumi silently stands up, with nothing else to say, but when walking to the door, Pekora hurries to hold him from the shirt, resting her head on his back, “I’m sorry peko, next time, just ignore me, you’re a good friend, and we shouldn’t be playing lovey-dovey like that peko.”

“You said it like it was all your fault, but I was the one who kissed you,” Takumi says while looking at the door with a bit of a serious tone, “That day you said something like that too,” He turns and holds the hand she was using to grab his shirt.

“Forget about that too peko,” She exclaims with a serious face, “That and today, let’s keep things simple between us.”

Moving from an awkward mood to another, as her mother looks at them going out of the room then invites Takumi for dinner with shaky hands gestures, its needed ten minutes for the two to escape from that situation. Silently staring at each other at the fence of the house, they release a commuted sigh, which ends with laughter, of mutual understanding. “Next week at my place?” Takumi asks with a renewed mood.

“Na’ah, you already know where I live peko, no need for me to take that tiring trip over and over again,” She laughs maliciously, “You can do it for me instead, from now on, no more walks for this girl peko,” She finishes by pointing at self with the thumb and a smug smile.

“So that was your plan all along…” Takumi snorts shaking his head, trying not to fall on the cunning villain laugh she was giving to him, “Well then, next week here, until then,” He waves with his hand and turns, pulling his phone to look at the bus schedule.

“… Hey!” But Pekora shouts once again, leaning on the fence trying to call on his attention.

“Yes, did I forget something or…?” The man asks as he looks back, peeking on the phone with the corner of his eyes.

“What if we get to know each other peko?” She asks with her usual smile, almost swinging on the steel bars.

“Come again?” He asks confused, stopping on the tapping of his phone.

“We are always talking about peko nonsense, what if next week we get to know the other peko? That’s what friends do peko!” She explains energetic, making little skips in the same place.

“Sounds like a great idea, count me in,” Takumi answers and gives her a smile back, then, when noticing the red lights posing over the two, right from the bunny-girl’s back, he takes his phone and changes to the camera app, aiming at her, “Say carrot!”

“Car-rot!” She replies right away, both with a sweet tone and a swing of her head, just to change of moods at the gentle sounds of the camera focus ready for the shutter, “Or so you thought, blegh!” Sticking her tongue out with all her might then breaking in laughter at the disappointed face of Takumi, “You won’t get a cute pic of me peko, I told you so!”

The man squirms frustrated, losing count of how many times he fell for her quips in the day, saving his phone back on the pocket, “See ya next week!” He exclaimed one last time before finally leaving.

“And don’t forget to bring the usual or I won’t let you enter!” Pekora shouts back all angered and defiant, then as the distance between them widens with each step, hiding small, flustered laughter with the palm of her hand.

For the following days until their next meeting, their conversation will be of just text through mails, most of them, starting by Takumi’s sending her a picture of the sunrise, and Pekora getting marveled by the gentle colors of it. The weekend passed by, and the next week passed by fast, then, on a cloudy Tuesday of August, Takumi set march to her place with her favorite treat wrapped on the bakery’s brown paper bags, but this time it was her mother who received and opened the fence and door for him, awkward greetings between the two, one wonders if they could ask about the current relationship, the other wondering if their presence in that place wasn’t welcomed. Managing to avoid delicate topics between stutters and politely phrases, they manage to distance and conclude the embarrassing encounter, the man finally knocking on the door of the bunny-girl, finding her in her signature clothes. “Hey there, I thought this was your free day, what’s the get up for?” He questions while slowly closing the door behind his back.

“He-hem!” Pekora cleared her throat with a hand posing over her chest and a little ‘v’ shaped smile, “This day is especial peko, we are going to meet each other for real this time peko, so I thought this would be the right fit,” She explains proudly, walking on the tip of her feet, elegantly approaching to him just to snatch one of the bags from his hands, silently clenching her fist when opening the bag, celebrating her guess in which hand was he holding the cream puffs was correct, “Now now let’s not waste time peko, come, I pulled the computer closer of the bed peko!” Pekora extends her arm and shows, the fixed set she built for the day, she ran and hop on the border of the bed with a confused Takumi quietly following behind, her mood switched to the one the man has seen from his home only, when playing her videos, “C’mon, c’mon, c’mon! I thought of all possible peko ways in how we should have this meeting! And then I realized the best way to know each other was while gaming peko! Here have yours!” She throws a game controller at him, talking without pause, clicking with the speed of lighting, opening the game of some kind of smiling weasel with jeans, the man was still speechless, he just took the controller unable to say something, “Hehehe, don’t fret like that peko, I’ll be nice with you and let you win some times, ready?” She remarks with a playful tone, shrugging in innocent giggles from Takumi’s quiet gestures of agreement, sitting next to each other, stuffing their mouths with bread, they begin to play.

_ “Wait…! No, let me get to that place too peko, wait for me!” _

At the cloudy, warm morning her noises of struggle would fill the room.

_ “You’re doing well peko, you may not play games a lot, but at least you can keep up the pace!” _

When the sun finally removed the clouds from the sky, posing in the middle of the city, her condescension could be heard in all corners of the house.

_ “No, no, no anything but that peko! Please have mercy, let me win too peko! Pretty please!” _

At the peak of heat of the day, her prayers and cries echoed.

_ “PEKO PEKO PEKO PEKO, THIS IS POWER.” _

And when orange tones gently started to ink one side of the sky, she was finally full of herself.

“Well, would you believe it? The sun is hiding over there,” Takumi chuckles beaten and rubbing his eyes, lying on the bed still with the controller on his right hand, almost in a death grip, “In the end, we barely talked to each other the whole day… but it was fun,” He narrates and sighs, but Pekora doesn’t reply at first, the man slowly turns his head and pokes her side with the left hand, “Earth to pekoland, everything’s ok?” And almost by reflex from his question, the bunny-girl released a frustrated squirm, tightly hugging her legs, prostrating in that position, sobbing, “…Pekora?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this… crap,” She mourns between sobs, “E-even though I thought wearing my usual clothes would bring me confidence peko… even though I was the one who proposed this peko…” Pekora pauses with a long breath from her runny nose, “I spent the whole day doing nothing but playing videogames…” She finishes, with unintelligible cursing words after it, Takumi sat on the bed, and quietly embraced her from behind, gently kissing on her naked shoulder, their hands reuniting near her forearms, “I’m so sorry peko… as soon I saw you coming in I realized… that there isn’t much to talk about me,” She raises her face and snorts, Takumi wiping her eyes with a thumb and Pekora resting her face on his palm, “Most of my life has happened between these walls so…” 

Takumi took a deep breath, resting his chin over the top of her head, “Well, I don’t think you have to worry so much about it,” He vaguely expresses, but Pekora shakes her head with a squirm, “You were just nervous that is all, if anything, I am the one who has nothing to say,” He explained, this time the bunny-girl breath her snots back and trying to wipe her tears, she turned to look up at the now flustered man, “I mean… most of my life was just attending school and going back home, I didn’t have many friends nor I was in any club, it was the same in college, and then these past three years… my life stopped entirely, because of ‘the job’ I took,” He groans disappointed with himself, looking aside from the embarrassment, “My life is particularly boring… and incredibly empty, whatever you had to tell, it probably was hundreds of times more interesting than mine.”

“Pff… hahaha, is that how you want to make me feel better peko?” Pekora chuckled on tears, this time turning her entire body to the man, getting closer to him, “But, for some reason, that’s exactly what I thought about you, that day especially.”

“You mean that time after Aqua’s wedding?” He asks while pretending to look at the ceiling.

“Yup peko,” She nods with a bittersweet smile, her eyes starting to swell, “That time… do you know why I approached you in that bus station?”

“Well…” Takumi awkwardly sighs, trying to don’t reply right away, but since nothing else holds on his mind, “After how things ended that day, wasn’t it because you wanted sex?”

“… It was more than that,” She suggests, now with a serious, calmer tone, frowning and tightly holding her hands, confusing the man, “At that time, what I thought was…  _ ‘Maybe, if I extend my hand to him right now, while he’s feeling vulnerable, I could keep him all for me’  _ and, so I did,” Pekora finishes with laughter filled with shame.

“Is that why all this time you have been feeling so guilty?” He asks with incredulity, Pekora just quietly nods to his question. In silence he meditates to her confession, both of them so quiet only the fan of the computer could be heard, then, he gently stroke her hair and kissed her forehead, “I couldn’t care less about it, selfish intentions or not, you have been a great friend, Pekora.”

“… Do you really?” She asks almost like begging, at the verge of bawling, her hands making frustrated gestures from the sudden emotion overwhelming her, “Even if, it was an awful reason?”

“But you have never been awful with me, and, in a sense, I did let you have me all for you, it was a mutual decision, not just a scheme of yours,” He continues explaining as kindly as possible, doing as much as possible to keep himself together for the crying girl in front of him.

“Takumi… you’re so stupid,” Pekora chuckles again, jumping on him and wrapping the man from the chest with both arms, “That way of thinking is what allowed Aqua to make a fool of you,” She cries, burying her face on his chest, “Don’t let me do the same… don’t forgive me!”

“Pekora…” Takumi whispers, taking her face by the chin, immediately kissing her. For seconds, which felt like hours for both, their lips reunited for a glimpse, when separated, when looking at each other, they both shared bittersweet smiles.

“Hell,” Pekora groaned trying one more time to clean her face, “Is this supposed to be a  _ ‘licking each other wounds’ _ conversation? So lame…” The girl tries to finish the moment with sarcasm and pulls away, but Takumi took her by the waist and dragged her back to him, “…Oh,” She gasps with flustered cheeks, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, already knowing what was coming, he held on her face and kissed her again, the tension on her shoulders loosening, Pekora answering his kisses, pulling on the neck of his shirt with both hands, but when she felt his tongue, she hurried to pull back, “No! Wow I… that felt so… peko,” She laughed while tightly squishing his face from both cheeks, “Not today, not like this, okay?” She told him as serious as possible, Takumi tried to reply but only babble came from his mouth, Pekora giggled and then gave a loud sigh, finally calming down, she dropped her body on the bed and slowly lied belly up, and with an endearing smile, she extended her hands to him, “Let’s try again peko, but only kissing, ok peko?” Her voice coming back to the usual mood, Takumi leaning over her, using his arms to don’t step over her body, renewing the slow and shy session of kisses.

Small, repeatedly, almost without a hint of saliva, the girl would release a small moan whenever he pressed on her lips, her hands starting to dig inside his shirt, caressing his chest, almost naturally, “M-maybe a little of touching is ok peko?” She suggests boiling red, the man answering not with words, but using his right hand to hold her by the waist, and the left to get a hold of her buttocks, making her gasps in pleasure again, “L-like that… slowly, you can touch me more if you want peko.”

It was the afternoon of a Thursday when Pekora and Takumi took a trip together into the center of the city. Defying pasts claims of saving energy with a discreet set of clothes, her hair combed into a single ponytail and beret to forcefully hide her ears from the public, the bunny-girl, with a leather guitar case on her back, held on the wrist of the man during the travel from the subway ‘til the last station and out in the plaza of the city, nervous in the increasing, loud crowds of people fearing to be stomped, squishing close of her friend who did his best to hide his laughter. They walked a couple of blocks and the masses of people shrank, stopping in the corner of an avenue, at a four feet tall yet skinny building and going inside it. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, meeting in a fancy wooden lounge room where musical instruments were being played, meeting with a receptionist and making Takumi sign a couple of papers for basic routine, he gestured Pekora to follow him in silence, going through a hall up to another set of stairs inside the local, when they finally went inside a medium-size room, welcomed by the gasps of a handful of children. “Professor! Finally, you’re 4 minutes late!” One of the boys complained, making the rest of the group break on a burst of laughter.

“Yes, yes, I’ll stand on the hall with some water buckets later,” Takumi replies uninterested while walking to his desk in the middle of the place, leaving his guitar case on a line strap filled with many, smaller ones, there’s another commuted laughter from the kids.

“Oh, Professor Takumi brought his girlfriend!” One of the girls exclaims, pointing at the bunny-girl standing frozen in front of the door, unable to fully enter the room from the nerves.

Takumi waited a couple of seconds for Pekora to be the one to reply to the girl’s insinuation with a quip, but she was totally petrified, “Leave those jokes aside, today she and I will impart this class, she’s really good with the guitar, you should all greet her,” He explained to the group, who gasped curiously and immediately took off their seats and ran to Pekora, barely reaching above her knees, they bombarded the girl with questions while pulling on her pants.

“Can we see your guitar? Can we see your guitar!?” One of the boys asked desperately when pulling on her wrist.

“Teacher, my name’s Kimiko! What’s yours?” Another of the girls wonders energetic while holding one of Pekora’s fingers.

“Ah… Ah? Wait, everyone calm down for a moment peko!” Pekora shouts, coming to her senses, but the sway made her trip on her steps and the beret on her head fell to one side of the floor, her ears, eagerly pointing on the ceiling, stealing all the attention, “That's more like it peko, good kids, my name is Pekora, hope to be of help in today’s classes peko!” She explained unaware of the children’s gasps, their eyes stuck on the way her ears tingled with her words, until Takumi snorted from afar on his desk, and silently pointed over his head, signaling the girl, who when checking over hers, noticed what had happened, “Oh… this is a problem peko.”

“She’s Pekora! She really is, the real one!” One of the boys screams all hyped pointing with a finger.

“Hehe, you a have good eye kid!” Pekora tells with a pleased and bratty tone, “I guess you can’t hide this beauty no matter how hard I try, ah!” She continues on her rejoice, fanning her face.

“Pekora… what’s that?” Kimiko wonders with a finger on her mouth.

“Eh, what?” Pekora stutters by reflex, trying not to trip again.

“She’s a Virtual Youtuber! A kind of big sis who plays many games!” The boy insisted clenching his hands.

“R-right, you heard him peko, I’m a popular celebrity!” Pekora tries again to flaunt, this time striking a pose.

“Is that so, but my parents don’t let me see those kinds of people,” Kimiko confesses a bit confused, the rest of the boys and girls agreeing with her.

“Eh… eh? Only one of you knows about me peko? Eh?” Pekora stutters even more, thunderstruck when Takumi finally appears behind the kids.

“That’s it, this routine will take all day, let’s get the class started c’mon!” He clapped his hands and the kids replied in unison, silently waving goodbye to Pekora, who answered the gesture feeling a bit defeated.

“Most of them… don’t know me… is like twenty kids in this room, it’s so unfair peko…” She mourns bitterly as Takumi brings her a wooden seat for her to use, “Thank you…”

“Don’t let it get over your head, that’s how parenting is,” Takumi insists a little annoyed, trying to make the now depressed bunny-girl sit in place.

“Professor, what are we going to do today?” A boy asks when raising his hand.

“Of course, we are going to practice the five basic chords again,” He tells them with a movement of his hand, a little condescending, the group instantly groaning.

_ “What… the basic chords peko… what?” _ Pekora whispers confused, listening to the discussion suddenly being held.

“Again!? Professor, we did that already for the past month, can’t we learn something new?” Another kid pouts, the rebelling noises growing at large.

_ “For over a month, pfft,” _ Pekora whispered again, hiding her laughter from the group.

“That won’t do, not when you all failed the written exam, we need to see this theme from the first part!” Takumi answers all serious, once again clapping his hands, another disappointed pout from the kids.

“You made them a written exam…?! That’s it, you’re so dumb peko!” Pekora explodes in malicious laughter, holding on her stomach not being able to believe what she’s hearing.

“Yes…? That’s how things work on here, a theory part and the practice part,” Takumi bitterly suggest with both hands.

“Nah that’s not how you teach kids peko, here, I’ll peko show you!” She stands energetic, skillfully removing the case from her guitar, tying the strap around her shoulder and playing a quick, acute melody which leaves the kids speechless, “All the boys and girls who want to have fun today say carrot!”

“Carrot!” The boy who recognized her first screamed at the very second, with a fist on the air standing on his seat.

“That’s the spirit peko! Pick on your guitar, let’s all play together!” Pekora suggests with a sweet tone, inviting the rest, their eyes sparkling from the proposition.

“Wait, Pekora, I didn’t invite you to hijack my class!” Takumi shouts nervous as one by one the kids scream ‘carrot!’ and stand from their seat and run to hold on their guitars.

“Too late, today we are rebelling peko, this is where the Pekoland is rebuilt; who is with me!” She shouts when shoving a fist into the air, her coup growing louder and energetic. “Very well class, here is a peko question, who am I?” She questions then her expression changes, annoyed, frowning, leaving the guitar aside,  _ “You didn’t pass the exam so you have to make everything again!” _ Pekora disses pretending a masculine voice, tensing her jaw, and with a funny walk.

“Professor Takumi! You’re Professor Takumi!” The kids screamed almost together, laughing and following the bunny-girl around the room.

“Correct peko! And for that boring teacher, we will show him our way of learning! Follow me peko!” She cheered one last time, making a train of little kids behind her tail, as she played nonsensical lyrics on the guitar, trying to make the kids copy her finger movements,  _ “I don’t want salty breakfast any more mom!” _ She sang with a melodious giggle.

_ “Because cream puffs are even better!” _ The kids’ sing-a-long copying both her strokes on the guitar and her funny dancing moves, laughing and bumping with each other, circling around the room over and over as they played together with the ‘hymn of Pekoland’.

“Well, I’ll be dammed, they just learned the A Major chord with that,” Takumi snorts defeated from the distance, leaning on the desk and looking at the display with a captivated smile, all the time staring at the never-ending happiness of the bunny-girl, brawling with the kids, laughing with them, like a cliché camping grounds instructor, unfazed by the energy of the little ones, “… Guess I have to meddle a little too, otherwise, they’ll contract her and fire me,” Takumi whispers to self, shaking his head with a sarcastic giggle, standing up and fixing his pants to turn on the wall and pick on his guitar, taking a long deep breath just to run as fast as possible and stop with a forceful jump in front of them, “Residents of Pekoland, I have come for a match! Let’s see how many chords have you learned now!” He started on another random narration, faking a funny voice and gestures of a cartoon villain character.

“En garde, my brave warriors peko!” Pekora reacted almost like following an invisible script, making a pose with him, as if they were going to battle with their instruments, the kids behind her copying her tight frowning, “We’ll show this boring teacher how we play the guitar peko! Are you ready peko?” She asks looking left and right, the kids giving excited, silent nods, starting on the loudest, incomprehensible, duel of guitars ever made in the building.

“Takumi…! Hold me!” Pekora cried out of steam, two hours later, after the kids had all left, she showed the recoil for following the pace of the little ones all evening, the man ran with a little giggle when catching her by the armpits as she fell on his arms not being able to move her legs any longer, “Children sure have energy uh? I thought I was going to die after the first thirty minutes peko,” She sighed with mid-closed eyes, the man drags her to a seat and slowly placed her over.

“You did amazing… I’m still in shock, they loved you all the way,” Takumi tells her with a happy gasp, caressing the cheeks of Pekora with both hands, which slowly melted on them with an exhausted expression.

“Yes I did peko,” She giggles from the tiredness and the tickles of his fingers, “They learned on a day, half of what you tried to teach them on a peko month, aren’t I superb?” 

“Which means I must suck at it, I guess,” Takumi sighs with disappointment.

“Mhm-hmn” Pekora shakes her head, “You did what anyone else would do peko, but when things don’t work the first time; you have to take another approach peko,” Taking his hands and rubbing her face against his palms she continued, “Having fun is the most important part for a kid, otherwise they won’t learn.”

“I guess that applies for literally everything,” Takumi continues on his low tone, coming closer to the girl, in silence, one rests their forehead over the other, sharing a small beak kiss. 

“You know, today…” Pekora whispers with red cheeks, caressing the face of the man this time, “For a moment today peko, it felt… it made me think, that we would be great parents.”

“… Are you… did you just…” Takumi stutters in surprise, both of them turning red as flames.

“Heh… hehehe,” She giggled innocently; no longer able to express any actual word.

“… Am I really, good enough?” The man asks with honest doubt, his hands trembling a little.

“What about… if you ask me that tomorrow peko, I’d like to go to your place this time… if it isn’t too much to ask peko,” The bunny-girl replied with the sweetest tone, almost like passing out from the nerves, almost on the verge of crying.

_ “I could get used to the dawns from here; the coffee in your kitchen is making such a great smell” _

A gentle voice whispers from a side of the bed around six o’clock; a silhouette gazing at the orange and pink rays piercing in the crystal glass doors of the room, lazily fixing her hair behind her back.

_ “Are you planning to wake up any soon peko?” _

She questions in sweet whispers approaching the man on the other side of the bed, deeply asleep, with a blushing smile, she played with his hair, making swirls with her fingers.

_ “Hey good morning, you are going to miss something good.” _

Squirming by reflex when the man finally listens to her words and opens his eyes, Pekora hurries to get a hold of the blanket on the bed and cover her naked chest with it, sharing silent greetings, the bunny-girl who is sitting on the bed, slowly bids to his face and gives the man a long kiss, making sure her hair doesn’t fall over his face, the man replying when she’s about to pull back, filling her with warmth, making the contact of their lips even longer. “Yes… you’re good enough,” She spoke first thing in the morning, standing out of the bed, wrapping the blankets of the bed around her body as if it were a dress, she used both hands to open the crystal door, making a surprising skip when feeling the breeze strike her face and lift her hair along with the curtains.

“…Stay like that for a second,” Takumi quickly suggest, hurrying on drowsy movements to shove his hand into the insides of a table night near his bed, taking his phone and bringing the camera app, trying to take the perfect position to capture her shape on camera while still lying on the bed, “This time for sure okay? Say carrot!”

“Hehe…” Pekora giggles turning to the man, trying to fix her hair when the rays of light, together with the breeze, combine in a burst of energy incoming into the small room, leveling up with colors and effects, the tenderness of her smile, 

_"I love you!”_


	2. The End of a Sweet Nightmare (Subaru's True Happy Ending)

“Na’ah, I’m sure I gave you the keys,” A long-haired girl replies with haughty to the man to her side, in front of the door of an apartment with another girl quietly giggling to the quips of the couple, as they fight for who has to open the door, “Check your pockets would ya? You’re embarrassing me.”

“Eh? But I don’t remember you giving them to me, uhm,” The man wonders lost in thought, releasing the strap of his bag and handing it to the girl, checking on the right pocket of his pants until a metallic clink makes him sigh in surprise and the girl to sketch a smile from ear to ear, “Oh shut up,” He told her right off before she could even snort her malice, opening the door with annoyance.

“I’ll be right back, let me get all the stuff!” Subaru shouts to the other girl when rocketing inside the place, throwing Takumi’s bag back into his arms, quickly dashing from the entrance and into a hall, the loud noise of a door being slammed after.

“H-Hey, no more than ten things, you hear me?! Any more besides that and you’ll have to pay for it!” Ai nervously shouts back when attempting to take off her shoes on the entrance, looking up at Takumi with a bit of concern, “That girl is a blast, how do you keep up even?”

He chuckled at her question when closing the door and leaving his bag on a hanger, “She looks like a handful, but you’d be surprised, she’s the kind who likes to take things at her own pace,” Takumi explains after changing shoes and walking in, waiting for Ai to follow him.

“I’m already regretting this, but it’s hard to say  _ no _ to a smile like hers,” Ai pouts walking behind the man. Quietly observing the insides of the place, the long wall on the living room stuffed with cheap and comical frames, which content were the pictures the man so proudly and constantly took were the first thing to call on her attention, a small giggle coming from the corners of her cheek, almost if it were calling to her, standing right in front of the wall, looking at the pictures of her and her friends, and many others of the man with people she never met before, most of them regardless, were of Takumi and Subaru, overwhelming the others by quantity, she held one of the frames and pulled it out of the wall, “You know? Sometimes I get the thought I shouldn’t have let you go,” The girl confesses with a soft tone, caressing the crystal protecting a picture of Subaru happily swinging on Takumi’s arm, “But when looking at this wall I can tell… I was just holding you back, wasn’t I?” Her voice breaking at the last part when forcing a smile, she raised her face to peek at the man’s reaction, but he was just nervously looking for the coffee utensils on a stall of the kitchen, trying not to react to her words, “Pffft don’t be like that, are you going to tell me, after all, this time you still haven’t learned to say things upfront? This could be a nice chance to shove into my face how much better you’re doing without me.”

Takumi stopped on his major movements, slowly caressing the package of coffee powder with the reluctance of looking back to her, “Do you really think I would do something like that?” He asks nervously, breathing in and renewing his brewing coffee procedures.

“… I guess not, heh,” Ai replied with a bit of sarcasm, taking the picture with her and sitting on the couch, letting it rest over the table in the middle of the living room, “But that is one of the things that makes you so great, I would hate if now you were the rude kind of people.”

“Make haste and space!” A chirping feminine voice barged into the awkward conversation, Subaru jumped into the living room with both arms stuffed from small books to some Kizuna Ai goods, cheap goods, and even a shirt, she sat on the floor from the other side and with flustered cheeks, dropping all of it on the table then pulling a marker pen from a pocket of her clothes, “Ten things just like you asked…! Oh!” Switching gears to pick on the picture frame when Ai awkwardly held on the pen unknown of where to start signing, “What’s this doing here? Ah, this from one of our first dates, I remember wanting to know if I could swing on his arm…” She laughed while narrating the story, doing it all almost in autopilot, yet she froze when looking at the frown and bittersweet smile of Ai, “Ah… Crap I’m sorry, I forgot,” Stuttering on an apology, she put the frame back on the table.

“Oh noes, is my fault for letting it show on my face and… you knew?” Ai asked a little perplexed when fixing her hair and picking up the shirt, gently folding the sides and opening the marker tip to write on the cloth.

Subaru blushed again, this time in embarrassment, “I asked him… who were all the ones he… so,” She finished the sentence by shaking her hands, unable to conclude it with words.

“You asked him something like that?” Ai quietly laughed, without knowing both were hiding the conversation from the man inside of the kitchen changing the filter of the coffeemaker, “Even when knowing all that you still invited me here… you sure have guts girl,” She complimented Subaru in her usual way, a mix of honesty and sarcasm.

“I thought I had to know if… if I wanted to be with him,” Subaru expressed with awkwardness, playing with a flock of her hair, Ai sarcastic giggles stopped for a second, giving a detailed look to the get-up of the girl, both clothes and hair, “I just thought that way it would make it easier and… is something wrong?” She asks stopping on her first sentence.

“Nothing really,” Ai responded almost immediately, finishing signing the shirt and quickly taking a figurine of her, placing it upside-down to sign her name on the bottom, “So? Did it make it easier? To be with him I mean.”

“Uhm…” Subaru loudly paused, muffling her cheeks in air trying to look for the seriousness to reply that question, “Puah…! Yes and no? But, so far…” She whispers when turning her sight to Takumi, making a silly smile, resting her face on her hands, “I’ve had a lot of fun being with him.”

“Hah, the heart of a maiden in love, how lucky can he be,” Ai swirls her eyes by instinct; then gestures an apology from her first reaction, Subaru just chuckles at her expressions.

“So? What did you pick for her to sign?” Takumi asked finally showing up in the living room, sitting on the couch in front of the one of Ai, the man giving a look at the stuff Subaru brought as she crawled near his legs and took off her beret, Takumi caressing her scalp with the tips of his fingers, almost by reflex, Subaru humming on his movements, “Where were you hiding that Ai figurine? First time I see it.”

“It had always been there you dumbo, you just don’t pay attention to it,” Subaru counters a little annoyed, pushing his fingers against with her head.

“You better bring your wallet out dude, most of these things aren’t even my merchandise,” Ai snorted when holding a pencil case at the height of her face with a ‘Hololive’ logo in it, “You sell this to any collector you’ll get in trouble, Subaru my dear.”

“No way would I do that?!” The girl shouts in her usual chirping tone and a swing of her arm, making the other two exploded in laughter, she then turned quiet after a couple of seconds, almost meditating, just to look up to Takumi after a brief while, “Hey, would you go out and buy some things for dinner? Let’s have Ai join us tonight!” She claimed with enthusiasm, but both Ai and Takumi stared at each other with utter concern.

“D-dinner? I thought it was just a coffee, I don’t really know, I’m waiting for a call from the studio and I would have to run as soon as my phone rings,” The girl looks for an excuse with a little stutter.

“C’mon! I bet none of you have met after a while, let’s get at day with each other!” Subaru insisted with a now more incoherent proposition, yet her playful tone of begging and the way she swung her shoulders when doing it was difficult to reject for the other two.

“… What do we need again?” Takumi sighed in defeat, standing up and looking for his wallet on the bag he left on the entrance.

“Takumi?!” Ai shouts in disbelief as Subaru smiled victoriously.

“Go get some chicken breasts and beef would you? We are also missing spices and mirin!” She shouts from the living room with a huge smile, Ai silently staring at him, giving him signals to don’t let them alone.

“Sure, guess I’ll also buy some beers on the way back,” Takumi adds saving the wallet on the pocket on his pants, ignoring the bloodshot eyes of Ai before leaving the room.

“Gosh, that dude…” Ai sighs crossing her legs and arms, her mood slowly changing full of annoyance, “Well, you made him go away, what is that you want to know so badly you can’t do it with him being near?” Her voice growing aggressive when she faces the girl from the other side, she paces her breath as if the situation had clicked a nerve on her mood.

Subaru exploded agitated, shaking her hands and head at the same time, “Wait, wait, wait, calm down! Is not like that, I swear!” She hurried to apologize fearing the volume on Ai’s voice, “Is just… there are some things…” It was taking a lot for her to finish on the thought.

Ai quietly moved from the couch and sat on the floor with her, leaning her arms on the table, “Can I know something first before you ask anything?” She wonders with a serious face, leaning on one hand.

“… Sure?” Subaru replies with confusion.

“How does it feel for a girl like you to live with a man with so much sex drive? I bet there are days he doesn’t let you sleep,” Ai said with naught and malice on her voice.

“Eh… Eh?!” Subaru went full red at the second, “Wait- ah, that’s not how we… Geez! Why would you ask something like that?!” She squirmed lost of words, taking the shirt on the table and using it to cover her face.

“C’mon is girls talk! Are you going to tell me it doesn’t excite you to brag about it?” Ai continues on the teasing, this time letting her evil smile show.

“No… No! We aren’t like that!” Subaru finally replied back to the bully, slamming the table with both hands and the sweating face of someone who ate raw chili peppers, “I mean… There are times we sleep together but… is not like we  _ always _ do it when so and… we have our own separate rooms.”

“ _ NO WAY, REALLY?! _ ” Ai snorted out loud, snapping her neck to look at the hall of the apartment and notice the many doors on the sides, confirming what the other says, “Oh what a waste, you’re missing a lot of fun there.”

“A… A relationship doesn’t have to be about doing it a lot!” Subaru tries to fight back once again, stretching her arms and pouting.

“Is not like it has to but is highly recommended,” Ai insists with a defiant tone and quick movement of her eyebrows.

“Pfft… Hah… Hahaha!” Subaru breaks on laughter, the comment and the tone of her words caught her off guard, “What’s that even suppose to mean?! God, you’re so weird!” But when Ai was about to throw another of her sharp insinuations, the boiling bubbling noises from the kitchen called on her attention, “Oh, the coffee! Takumi left without having any; do you take it with or without sugar?” She asks Ai when standing back up and slowly walking to the kitchen, humming a song.

“Just black is fine, and anyhow…” Ai tells her from the living room, releasing a loud sigh and resting her back against the sofa, “I’m afraid to tell you I may not be able to reply to you anything about him.”

Subaru quickly popped her head from the door of the kitchen, “Why so? Is it really that awkward to talk about it?”

“Because I don’t know the person you want to talk about, silly,” The other replies bittersweet, renewing on taking the marker and continue signing the various stuff over the table, “That happy man, so stable, so caring, giving guitar classes to kids, that’s not the Takumi I met and knew,” Ai begins to explain as Subaru comes back with a confused face, sitting on the floor and placing both coffee cups over the table, nodding when taking the handle of the cup and slightly blowing on it, “The Takumi I knew was more… empty, to say the least.”

“I see… Sorry for trying to make you talk about it,” Subaru whispers disappointed, taking a sip of her drink and playing with her hair, to which Ai didn’t reply at first, she just stood there, silently watching the girl, “Is… something wrong?” She wonders feeling on the pressure of Ai stare, once again she didn’t reply, but this time, the girl stood from her place with the cup in her hands, walked to the side of Subaru, and sat centimeters close to her, “Ai…?”

Still, without giving her a single word, Ai extended her hand and took a flock of Subaru’s hair, from the top of her ear she ran her fingers along with the height of it, silky and straight hair, almost reaching her waist, Subaru vivid red from her gestures, but Ai expression was serious all along, “You changed a lot too, the hair and that long skirt… You still act like the same girl I’ve seen on the videos, but, this?” She suggests with a bit of sarcasm, “You did this for him, didn’t you?”

“Is it really that obvious? Uh…” Subaru spout at the second, awkwardly squirming from the girl playing with her hair.

“That dude… has always been obsessed with long-haired girls, he’s a creep that way, but,” Ai stops for a second on her dissing, having a change of heart she clears her throat, taking into account the awkwardness reflected in Subaru’s face, “Is not a really bad quality of him, but I didn’t think someone would go this far, what’s the story behind this, did he ask you to? If so I’ll smack him right on the face for you,” She suggests with a clench of her fist, making the other snort and giggle.

Subaru took a deep breath to relax, still feeling a bit embarrassed, looking down on the table, “There was a time last year when we were going to meet in Mio’s house to play ‘n’ stuff right?” She begins to narrate, Ai firmly nodding to her words with a prickly smile, “Eh… what’s with that face?”

“No, no, go on, so you all called him to play on Mio’s house and…?” Ai teases once again with naught.

“It wasn’t like that you dork!” Subaru loudly shouts on her raspy volume, agitating her arms, “We were meant to meet and play, we never meant to have him come to Mio’s house!”

“Okie, Okie geez you sure overreact,” Ai gestures with both hands apologizing, “So? How did he end up there?”

“Right, right,” Subaru paused on her yelling, with a hand over her chest deeply inhaling, taking another sip of coffee, “Fubuki had an accident on the way to Mio’s house, and Takumi found her for some reason, so he helped to bring her to us,” Finally calming down she continues with her story, or at least so she tried, getting flustered and giggling the more she continued, awkwardly scratching the back of her hair, “I may… or may not tell the girls I was… onto him, so, when he appeared on Mio’s house, they started teasing him, trying to find out what was the type of girl he likes, to help me out I guess?” Her voice breaking in an acute melody at the end, making Ai, who was about to throw another quip, get mute, slowly caressing the hand of Subaru, whose expression was growing sadder with the seconds, “He… He replied to everything they asked and… the type of girl he was interested in… it wasn’t anything like me… It was like you.”

By reflex Ai pulled her hand away, like receiving an electric shock from her words, there was nothing but silence from the two; then she broke in the uncomfortable quietness by loudly groaning on her face with both hands, “URGH! God! That dude!” She shouts with all her might, bashful red on her cheeks, “But, hey, that was almost a year ago, right? And, you’re even living with him, if it weren’t because you insisted on meeting me and bringing me over, he probably would have never exchanged words with me again, he only cares about you now.”

“Yeah but, the point is that I did it for him to like me,” Subaru sighs and chuckles, still forcing her words on the situation, “I grow my hair and changed my style to call on his attention, and it worked, since then…” She pauses for a brief second, with a tiny smile pouring from the corners of her cheeks turning her face to the wall of pictures of them, “Since we started going out, my days have always been full of happy moments.”

“Oh, I get it!” Ai exclaimed all of a sudden, clapping her hands, “So earlier back in college, when you said the picture he took wouldn’t fit on the wall, was it because you didn’t want him to put a picture of us three here, right?” Subaru went dead mute, her mouth making a comical twist of lips, Ai looking back at her with an evil smile, “Oh worry not, if all girls could be as jealous and smart as you, we could avoid a lot of relationship problems.”

“K-knock that off!” Subaru yells still red, “You m-make it sound a-as if I were some kind of deceiving woman so knock it off!”

“But…” Interrupting her screaming with a gesture of her finger and a fixed expression, Ai turns the conversation, “It should be about time you tell him about it, you know how he is, if you tell him you want to change your hair back, he would just go with it, that part of him at least hasn’t changed one bit,” She stops on her lecture, loudly taking a chug of her coffee and continues, playing with a swirl of her own hair, “One of the reasons I made my hair this short was because I wanted to get over him, it is really endearing you did this much for Takumi, but you shouldn’t force it, and like I said, he’ll just roll with it.”

Subaru remained silent for a while wearing a small smile, slowly sipping on her coffee, “He’s like that, isn’t he?” She whispers with a bit of remorse in her tone, sighing with a new raspy voice and fixing her hair behind her back, “At that time I thought if I changed he would pay attention to me, and despite it worked, later than sooner I realized, he would still have paid attention to me if I hadn’t, as you said, he would have just  _ roll with it _ because he likes me regardless.” 

“That, that confidence in yours is amazing,” Ai interrupts her monologue with a swing of a finger.

“And also…” She turned her face to Ai with a growing blush from both extremes of her cheeks.

“Also…?” The other wonders with a comical smile.

“There it  _ has been  _ a couple of… tiny times when he hasn’t let me sleep,” Subaru confesses exploding in red, forcing a bluff with a daring smile, “And I can’t say I hate nights like those.”

“See? I knew you wanted to brag about it, you jerk!” Ai laughed from the sudden reveal, poking the sides of Subaru with her nails, “You wanted it to shove it into my face and assert dominance you cunning girl!” She insisted in a funny tone, far from angry or envious, she continued messing with Subaru, both trying to tickle the other.

After thirty minutes Takumi had come back, fearing for the worse he was surprised to see them both getting along, he shook the bags and left them over the table of the kitchen, and with a swing of moods, Subaru stood from her place and shared a clap of hands with him, “ _ Pass _ ” They both shout like a rally race, the girl walked inside the kitchen happier than ever, pulling a blue apron from a small hanger near the oven and wearing it from the neck. Takumi waves a silent greeting to Ai and sits on the other couch in front of her, then points to Subaru with a finger, “Don’t miss that,” He whispers with a silly tone, now he and a confused Ai staring into the kitchen, Subaru tightly tying the apron from the back of her waist, then skillfully pulling a yellow piece of cloth from a pocket of her clothes, making her hair into a ponytail and tying a ribbon in it, fast, firmly and almost with rhythm, clearing her throat with her signature, sweet tune and smashing wooden forks and spoons together.

“Aye, now you are going to witness my mother’s cooking skill passed down to me!” Subaru claimed from the kitchen, quickly moving to unpack the meat and the rest of the stuff Takumi brought.

“That perfect mix of tomboy and feminine should be illegal,” Ai complains with an impressed gasp of the gestures of the girl, slightly making her blush.

With the advance of the hours, darkness fills on the sky, a vivid conversation taking place in the living room, sharing plates and mugs, laughing at each other jokes. The first can of beer is opened and served, the flow of the themes to talk about changes along with the impulse of the alcohol, sometimes serious, sometimes jokingly, the beer is replaced with nihonshu, colored cheeks from the influence of liquors, just as inappropriate and suggestive comments are said. Almost at two of the morning, Ai is the first to get knocked out, falling asleep on the sofa with a glass of liquor still hanging on her hand, “God, look at the hour,” Takumi groaned trying to stand up, doing his best to don’t stumble between the legs of a dizzy Subaru, picking up the bottles of alcohol, he piled them on the kitchen table, went to the hall and came back with a blanket, unfolding it and covering Ai with it, “Of all things that could happen… How did you end spending the night at my place again?” He wonders melancholic with a hiccup.

“Takumi…? What did you just say?” Subaru asks with a worried tone.

“Oh nothing really, is just weird…” He whispers with a small smile, gently taking the glass Ai was holding and fixing her hair with a finger, “When I think of her I often get angry but… She was really nice today, it’s nice to know she’s doing well you know?” He relates bittersweet, his finger running through the lines of the cheek of the sleepy girl.

“That’s enough… you’re drunk,” Subaru hurried to meddle between him and the sleepy girl, tightly holding on his arm, “Let’s go to sleep ok?”

“Eh? Want to sleep together tonight? But she’s right here in the living room,” Takumi stutters on the proposition, yet Subaru only tightens the grip on the sleeve of his arm, with a pouty face, “… Very well, let’s put the lights off and head to bed,” He sighed feeling guilty, leaving Ai in the mess of the improvised party and dark when switching everything off. Attempting to take Subaru to her room, he got pulled by the boiling red girl, pointing to his room instead, “Huh, no way to trick you even when drunk?” He chuckled with a bit of sarcasm, opening the door for her and letting her come inside first, and when he was about to close the door, Subaru held on the knob, removing his hands and pushing him further inside the room, “Subaru…?” The girl didn’t give him a reply but rested her body against his chest, looking up to him, sharing a soft kiss at first, taking turns to kiss the other, her hands running up his neck and surrounding it, his hands gripping around her waist, Subaru is the first to give in the tongue, Takumi welcomed her with a funny giggle, lifting her up gently and sitting her over the edge of the bed, “You sure are drunk uh? Wait a moment, I’ll look for some water and condoms,” He explained with a bit of composure but just like moments before, Subaru silently held on his sleeve.

“It’s fine… Let’s do it like this tonight,” The girl tells him with excitement and exasperation in her voice, gulping down saliva she started removing the buttons of her shirt, slowly pulling it down from the shoulders and showing a simple white bra, “You like it when I undress myself don’t you?” She asks almost chirping, coughing from the nerves and shaking her head, fixing her hair and placing her hands behind her back, removing her bra, shyly and slowly, “Look… I’m nakey…! Hehe,” She spouts in the dizziness, Takumi immediately leaning on her, holding on the right side of her neck with one hand, deeply kissing on her skin from the other side, “Ah… Ah!” She moaned from the touch of his lips, with her heart beating faster each second, her fingers desperately attempted to get Takumi to remove his shirt, quickly taking off the buttons.

Between moans and rough movements, they continued kissing, Takumi’s shirt stuck in his forearms, Subaru’s hands caressing from his abdomen, up and back to his neck, pulling him close to her naked body, her stockings on the floor, her panties hanging from an ankle, her skirt is used as a cover for her butt on the bed, Takumi started to unfasten the belt on his pants, the metallic clink in the piece of leather echoing abruptly when it felt on the floor, “Wait… wait for a second…!” The man gasps and begs for a break as the girl was furiously kissing his lips and face, “Subaru… even if drunk… you’re acting weird… what’s happening?” He questions the girl and manages to make her slow down.

“I felt like doing it tonight… is it really that weird that I’m the one who proposes it?” She pouts with a sweaty face, hiding her embarrassment with the back of her hand.

“But is more than that, isn’t it?” He suggests for a moment and pulls away, wearing his shirt back with a fast movement of his shoulders, still open on the front, “You invited her here, then make her join for dinner, then today of all days… you also left the door opened… you want her to hear us right?”

“I…” Subaru stuttered for a second, then slowly got up on the bed, unable to face Takumi directly, “I want to make sure she hears… that she can’t take you away from me anymore…” The girl confesses in the drowsiness and heat of the room.

Takumi went speechless for half a minute, stared to the hole of the opened door then back to Subaru, “And since  _ when _ are you of the jealous type? More like…” He stops and coughs, interrupting his question, “No, not like that, I mean… have I done something to make you feel jealous of her?”

“Well, just twenty minutes ago you looked like you were about to kiss her while she was asleep,” Subaru pouts again, hiding her face by resting her forehead on his chest, “When I started to think she can still make you feel like that, I felt so angry…”

Takumi meditated on her words, sitting beside and groaning, “I did that…? I’m sorry, I must have drunk more than I thought,” He explains, then surrounding her left shoulder with an arm, he pulled her close, kissing her forehead, “But there is nothing you should worry for, the only person I want in my life is you, and only you.”

“You’d think I forgive you because I’m a little drunk?” Subaru struggles a bit more, trying to hide her happy giggles from hearing those words, then, a memory flashed on her mind, and she set an idea into motion, “You know, I’ve been thinking on cutting my hair, I… hope you don’t mind.”

The man quickly turned to her, making Subaru jump in nerves, then gently hold on her face with both hands, “Cut it you say?”

“Is… Is that a no? You don’t want to?” Subaru asks with sadness being mixed on her words, swallowing saliva, fearing on his answer.

“Are you going to cut it as short as before?” He asks once again, playing with her hair between his fingers.

“About that…” Turning into a handful of nerves her respiration agitates; then holding on his wrists, she looked up to him with decision, “Shorter… Shorter than before…”

“Shorter you say…” Takumi mumbles, his hands moving behind her ears, holding on her hair while making a weird expression.

“What’s with that silly face? What are you doing now?” Subaru giggles confused about his gestures.

“I’m trying to picture how you would look like with shorter hair…”

“And…?”

“…I think I’d go crazy for you.”

“…Takumi…!”

“You’d thought you needed permission from me, what made you think that?”

“… I just want to make you happy…”

“I’m happy if you are, you silly.”

“… I know a way we both can be happy now if you still are in the mood.”

“And that’s drunk Subaru speaking again, not that I will reject the offer, just let me close the door, ok?”

“Y-yeah… sorry again, for thinking in doing something so disgusting.”

“Nah, is not just that… If I know her well, and she heard us, she’s probably schlicking herself to us, she’s weird that way.”

“Eh… eh?! C-close it! Close the fricking door!”

“Yes ma’am.”

Getting out of the bed with dastardly laughter, Takumi walked to the door, gave a peek to the outside; then looked back to Subaru, “I’ll bring the water and the stuff ok?”

“Do… Do we really have to use those today…?” Subaru suggests, then quickly takes on a pillow to cover her face, “C-can we try… without it? Just this once…”

“Yes… you sure are a tease, give me a second,” He replies full red from her proposition, slowly walking out of the room and closing the door behind him, sighing disappointed to the finding of a dizzy Kizuna hurrying to put her pants back up. “I guess there are things that don’t change uh, you have always had a liking from watching others doing it,” He whispered for Subaru to don’t hear him, giving Ai time to dress up properly by looking the other way.

“Well, the other option was to cry myself to sleep while listening to you both doing it,” Ai hissed angrily, cleaning her eyes with a hand and snorting loudly, “Just… just open the door, I’ll find my way back home, my car is near…” Takumi nodded and finished wearing back his shirt, both walking to the entrance of the apartment, taking the keys, and opening the door Ai took a couple of steps out in the cold hall outside then turned back to him with tears on her eyes, “Re… Remember the last time we saw each other, and… and I asked you if you were going to be ok?” gritting her teeth, she forced a smile and held her hands together, “Truth is… I hoped you didn’t… and that was crappy of me…!” Bawling, she tried to fix her hair, “Dammit, I miss my headband…” Shaking her head and lifting a finger, she continued, “E-even though… I should be happy about you… I’m sorry…”

“Wait a second,” Takumi spouts senseless, going back into the apartment, and coming out after a couple of minutes, bringing a jacket and making Ai wearing it, then silently fixing a familiar headband over her, a distinctive red cloth bouncing over, “It’s cold outside… you can keep it.”

“You had one of these with you…? I thought I had taken them all… fuck,” She wonders now unable to stop her tears, crying loud and clear into the quiet night, “This is why… this part of you! I hate it so much when you let it show! This is why people mess with you!” She screamed at him, a couple of lights from the neighbor apartments showing up, Subaru’s head peeking from a corner far inside the place, “You know… that in the end, I hope you’re happy, right?”

“So do I, Ai,” Takumi gently tells her with a smile, the girl jumping on him, embracing him tightly, Takumi shyly hugging her back, stroking her back. And then, without anything else to say, they separated, waved goodbye, and walked away, Ai disappearing into the darkness of the hall, Takumi closing the door of the apartment, meeting with Subaru in the living room, and silently sharing a deep kiss on the lips with her.

“Nope, no peeking, what do you think the blindfold is for?” Korone snarls to Takumi, the day after in the bright morning, inside of Mio’s house, the dog-girl struggled with the man to keep him in place and quiet, fixing the band tightly behind his head, “Stay put for once already!”

“Korone is too tight, too tight I said!” Takumi taps on her wrists, feeling how the blood stops circulating on his head.

“Just another couple of minutes, she’s almost done, geez, you sure are a baby,” Fubuki nags the man from the other side, attempting to tie his arms on the handlers of a chair with masking tape.

“I’m pretty sure none of this is needed; let me go you mischievous animal-girls!” He insists in a worrying tone, repeatedly using an absurd amount of force to break on the tape Fubuki keeps reinforcing each time more.

“You’re worrying too much, is not like we are going to do something mean to you?” Okayu says with her soft tone, furiously mixing natto with soy sauce, trying not to let her evil giggle be heard.

“I can smell that you liar, I can smell that!” Takumi cries once again, attempting to stand up, just for Fubuki to sit on his lap and put another layer of tape on his arms.

“Would all of you settle down!? I can’t focus!” Mio screams from the other side of the room, stopping the haul of girls, “We’re almost done… just, a bit mooore here and… done! Ok, you can take the blindfold off him, she’s going there!”

“Aw, but I wanted him to eat the natto…” Okayu pouts disappointed as Korone removes the piece of cloth. Takumi removing the tape with Fubuki, ignoring Mio and Subaru when they enter both inside the room, the rest of the girls going silent, “Erhm Takumi… give a look at that.”

“That…?” The man asks still without looking, removing the last piece of plastic from his left arm, then finally, when lifting his face, he realizes, Subaru fidgeting in front of him, all red, just as she wanted, most her hair disappeared, even shorter from before, boyish yet elegant, a strange match with the dress she was wearing, “Wow…”

“D-don’t say  _ ‘wow’ _ you jerk…” Subaru pouts and slams the floor with a foot, the girls breaking on laughter, “Don’t laugh, you know what I mean! He has to say something better than tha-” Her anger being interrupted by a kiss of the man, Subaru melting on his hands, “…Jerk… that doesn’t work either.”

“You look lovely, Subaru,” Takumi sighed with a smile, stroking her hair.

“Pfft…  _ ‘Lovely’ _ ? I swear you were going to say I looked cool!” Subaru replies and snorts happily.

“Are you happier this way?” He asks with a soft tone, Subaru loudly nodding with a huge smile.

“Yup! I’m glad that you liked it!”

“I don’t like it… I love it.”

“You… I… thank you… I love you.”

“I love you too.”


	3. The Gentlest Touch (Okayu's Happy Ending)

In the intimacy of a dark room, in the solitude of the night, two bodies held each other tight. With the sweat running down their skins, small, acute whimpers of emotion sporadically taking protagonism on their hand movements, as the man let the girl rest her back against his chest, leaning on him like a chair, looking at each other with lust, with fury, the gentle moonlight which manages to pierce the curtains illuminating fragments of their naked bodies. Damp blankets surrounding them, the man held on her right breast tightly with his left arm, his right hand playing down her crotch, the cat-girl dug her nails on his arms the faster his fingers moved inside her, all the time looking up to him, lost in thought, lost in words, naked in body and soul, both of them sharing passionate kisses, over and over their tongues asking for more, the heat inside the room would have been unbearable for anyone else, for them it was just right enough to melt with the other, Okayu’s pelvis began to move against the in-and-out feeling, close to the moment, her right hand hurrying to pull Takumi from the back of his head, her kisses, faster but shorter, gently touching his tongue, almost teasing, almost provoking, her voice began to rise on several spasms of girly tones, crying in pleasure directly on his ear, “I’m so close… I’m so close! Faster! Faster!” Her begging would only produce more violent movements from the man's hands, as he pressed and pulled on the nipple of her breast, his thumb adding pressure on the tip, and down on her waist, his wrist stopped on the rhythmical, synch gestures, exchanging speed for technique, squelching noises each time he pushed on her sweet spots, Okayu suddenly burying her face on his neck, releasing a loud moan, Takumi taking the chance to move his two fingers inside her, slowly massaging her clit, “Don’t look…! Don’t look! No!” She cried desperately when small sprays of liquid shoot from below, the girl groaned and grit her teeth, inhaled deeply, for several seconds, and when exhaled, her body dropped entirely over his, the man slowly released her from his grip, gently surrounding his arms on her waist, lying down on the bed with her, the girl quietly kissing over his chest, slowly crawling up, licking on his neck, “Why… why is always so intense when is with you…?” She asks with a very exhausted tone as if she were cursing, as if she were celebrating it, pleasure and regret mixed in her words, on her feelings, he replied with a silent kiss, Okayu sweeps her sticky hair on the forehead and smiled to him with a bit of guilty, hugging him from the neck, kissing his chin, giggling when she felt his hands grip on her buttocks, “This is so addictive…” She whispers in relief, closing her eyes and looking for comfort over his body, shaking her hips with a satisfied smile.

“Don’t get too comfy, I have to get ready for work in a couple of hours,” Takumi tells her joined with a snore, looking for wet towels on a night table near a corner of the bed to clean his hands, tossing them on the floor, taking a couple more of towels and slowly clean Okayu’s bottom, the lazy cat spreading her legs a little.

“Eep! Those things are cold, it tickles a little and-” She giggles from the feeling on his hand but stopping in the middle, repeating his last words on her mind, “Wait… what do you mean  _ ‘in a couple of hours’ _ ? What time is it?” Wondering she rolls to his left side and falls on the bed.

Takumi takes the chance to stretch further his arm on the night table, taking a smartphone and handing it to her, “It’s four am,” He tells her a bit annoyed, flicking her forehead.

“Ouchie! W-wait, four?” With wide eyes, she sits on the bed, deeply staring into the clock of the screen, turning red, “So, we’ve been doing this… for six hours?” Okayu stutters ashamed, a large and acute, frustrated scream coming from her mouth like a deflating balloon, “H-how does this keeps happening? Where does the time go?” She asks in the air faking innocence and playing with her fingers, “T-this is all your fault, you know?”

“You sure are cute when you’re nervous,” Takumi replies to her stuttering, giving her a deep kiss on the cheek, “But you’re also a bad liar when you’re nervous,” He leaned on her and held on her chest with the entire arm, the edge of his teeth scratching on her neck as she moans, “That reaction exactly… is why we spent each time longer.”

“Hah… Idiot… Don’t play with me like that, I can’t control myself if you do,” She gasps excited from the sudden shock, taking deep breaths to don’t fall on his trick, “I swear, you make me feel dumb, l-let’s cool off ok?” Pushing his hand with her remaining strength, Okayu manages to escape from his grip and take on the phone again, tapping on the screen, “I wonder if Korone is still up playing something on stream,” She mutters when scrolling on a website.

“At this hour?” Takumi questions with doubt, moving from the bed to walk inside the bathroom and cleaning his face in the hand washer.

“You kidding? These hours are Korone’s prime time!” Okayu replies with a cheerful snore, growing happier when a familiar voice begins to scream from the speaker of her phone, “There she is! Wanna see a little before going off?” Lying back over her belly on the bed, she wonders while swinging her legs and tail on the hair.

“What about you get some panties and we move this to the kitchen? If we stay here I may want to do it again,” Takumi implies with a bit of sarcasm, grasping her ass with his whole right hand when coming back from the bathroom, slightly pulling it.

“Ah! R-right, good idea, if this continues… we’ll end being sex idiots havers,” The cat-girl moans from his touch, rolling away from his hand with red cheeks, leaving the phone over the bed and switching the lights on, both looking for something to wear.

With now a tablet leaning over an empty mug, they lean on the counter table of the kitchen from the other side, silently watching Korone’s stream, Okayu pressing her cheek on Takumi’s left arm, having tea and coffee respectively, “I guess is too late to ask but, she knows about us, right?” Takumi breaks on the silence with an indirect question, pointing to the table with the cup, without looking at the girl resting on him.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t know how to keep this secret from her anyway, ahh…” Okayu replies with trouble to keep her eyes open, having a sip of tea, yawning, and slowly hugging his arm with her free hand, she’s been wearing one of his shirts and boxers. 

“Well it has been three months already, what did she say about it?” Takumi insists a bit more, still without looking at Okayu, all dressed up ready to work.

“Uhm…?” The girl takes a confused pause, scratching an eye, “What’s with those questions all of a sudden? I’m too tired to tell if you’re jealous or anything…” Okayu whispers once again, taking a long sip from the cup, looking for the warmth to keep her awake.

“Ah, sorry is just…” He stops at the middle and coughs, moving the cup from hand to hand and slowly resting it over the table “December is right at the corner so I was wondering if you were going to spend the holidays with her…” Takumi begins to explain holding on her hand, bumping his head on her.

“Earth calling to handsome, Japan doesn’t have holydays on December, nor we suddenly start living back to Virtual World” Okayu replies with a drowsy giggle, but when Takumi turns to her with a confused face, she realizes in what she said, “Ah crap, n-nothing, forget about the last part ehehe…” She tries to sweat it away, but as the man didn’t quit on the strange look he was giving to her, she shouts an awkward squirm and went back to look the stream, “Any-way! We’ll be pretty busy on Christmas and New Year with whatever the company put us to do, if we go out, it’ll be before those ‘holidays’ and… you know?” She rubs on his arm and giggles, “I actually was thinking that… we should do something together, the three of us.”

“I guess it’ll be ok? The last time we saw and talked to each other was at the Hot Spring in the Inn… My back still aches when I think of that day, but the ice is far than broke between us,” Takumi groans while attempting to scratch his back with clumsy movements, making Okayu laugh a little, “To be honest I’m not sure if she likes me; I don’t think she has me on her best regards you know? I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Changing to a more serious tone he tells her with worry.

Okayu made a small noise of surprise from what he said, and with a bittersweet smile, she fixed her hair and untangled from his arm, left the cup near his and silently took the tablet, walked back to Takumi, and put the screen to the height of their sight, “Korone is one of the most important people to me, and no offense but, you aren’t near close of her yet,” She started on a cold lecture, one of her fingers playing with the silhouette of the dog-girl in the screen, “I want you two to get along, and… if you can’t find a way…” She pressed mute for a moment when Korone began to shout, unable to focus from her noises, looking up to him and faking a smile, “Well, let’s say we no longer will stay all night together up to four of the morning, ok? Not even if I’ll miss it…” Hiding a sad whimper with a giggle she finishes before growing sadder.

“Wait, wait,” Takumi nervously hurried to embrace the girl with both arms, kissing her forehead and ruffling her ears and hair as Okayu breathed loudly doing her best to don’t tear up, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say we won’t get along,” He tries to explain, kissing the top of her head repeatedly and childish swaying on the floor together, “I’m just a bit scared… of exactly that, I want to get along with her, but I don’t know what will happen if we can’t meet a middle groun- well, I now know, you just gave me an ultimatum.” He snorts between anxiety and sarcasm.

Okayu giggles along with his doubts, turning to him with a hug, “What about if we practice? A little date between the three of us before the real one,” She meows with a little smile, “And if something goes bad, I’ll middle, ok?” She ends by loudly sniffing on his chest.

“We can try that all right, we can even do it this week,” Takumi tells her accepting on the idea and stroking the back of her head, “Also, and changing the subject…” He suddenly spouts when taking the tablet from her hand, and put the stream sound back on, “When are you going to stop using my clothes? It was cute at first but your fur is hard to remove.”

“Hey, that’s rude to say an animal-girl! I don’t leave that much fur!” Okayu snorts and smacks his chest, “Also, I just  _ love  _ how you smell, I want to use your clothes daily, your boxers are hella comfy too,” She explains between giggles and naughty smiles, holding on his waist, swinging on the tip of her heels from left to right.

“Just what is  _ ‘my smell’ _ exactly? You always say that but I don’t get what you mean,” Takumi wonders while handing the tablet back, taking the cups and placing them inside the dishwasher, opening the faucet for a couple of seconds before closing it.

The cat-girl follows him around the kitchen with a funny smile, “You smell like… a hundred macho lumberjacks who just finished chopping down a forest, all sweaty… but with a bit of Old Spice and Hugo Boss,” Okayu explodes with laughter, covering her face in embarrassment and meowing, “O-okay, that sounds dumber when said out loud.”

“I wasn’t taking it seriously at first but your horniness is starting to worry me,” Takumi replies with a smile full of concern, kissing her forehead one last time, “I have to go now, I’ll leave the date preparations to you…” Playing with her hair, he scratches behind her ears, “I promise I’ll do my best to get along with Korone.”

“Thank you, is important to me… both of you, I’ll wing something up for Thursday,” Sharing a small kiss between clumsy cares, the couple walks to the entrance of the apartment before Takumi leaves, opening the door both shrug at the breeze of the morning, laughing and waving goodbye, Okayu rubbing her arms on the cold hall looking after the man as he walks down the stairs and mixes with the other early citizens on the street, the tablet still hanging on one of her hands.

On a sunny evening at the central mall, around three o’clock, Takumi and a girl of brown hair were silently waiting over one of the stools near the fountain in the center of the building. Each one sweeping the screen of their phones, without sharing a word, the man took a silent look at Korone, the girl had come to the date wearing a dress where she was hiding her tail with a lot of skill, as it didn’t even budge on the cloth, a small jean jacket, a purse on her left arm and sunglasses, a big hat on top of her head with the cartoony face of a dog, with half-cut ear sleeves, exactly matching the tones of Korone’s real ears, making it look part of the get-up. He gave a small sigh, helpless of what to talk about, getting a little intimidated when she violently turned her eyes to him from the sunglasses, with a tiny growl, then going back to fiddle on her phone. “O-Okayu sure is taking long right…?” Losing control of his voice tone like a prepubescent teen, Takumi attempts to break the silence, crawling a bit closer to Korone.

“Right? Sometimes going down the mountain can take a while,” She replied by his surprise, but with a lot of anger inside her voice, but Takumi, instead of getting anxious, snorted and smacked his leg, trying his best to don’t let his laughter out, “Was something I said supposed to be funny?” Korone snarls again, an eyebrow coming out from the sunglasses.

Takumi nods and smacks his leg again, “Is just… I know you’re trying to treat me coldly, but your voice is so acute I can’t take it seriously,” He continues while wiping a tear from his eye.

“Oh c’mon give me a little credit! I’m trying my best to intimidate you!” Korone shouts and hits his shoulder, releasing and even acuter sound, Takumi unable to handle it anymore, laughing dastardly, “Stop it! Don’t laugh at me, you should fear me, fear me!” She yells at him fully embarrassed, smacking his shoulder in a rain of clumsy fists.

“Yes yes, you’re truly a fearful girl…” He replies full of himself, clapping his hands while laughing. It takes a couple of minutes for him to calm down, Korone pouting and going quiet, once again getting distracted on her phone, Takumi moved another bit closer, “Say, Korone, I’ve been thinking about this day…” He says with a new tone, clearing his throat and extending his hands, trying to take her attention, “I’ve been thinking how we should get along you know? For the sake of Okayu, but, my conclusion was…” Pausing on purpose, he finishes closing the gap between the two, with a funny tone, “In the first place, why are we exactly on bad terms?”

Korone released a small disgusted shout of surprise when he bumped his leg with her, but by the moment he finished on his question, her face changed, slowly taking her sunglasses off, “…But I thought you hated me…?” 

Takumi reacted the same way, pointing at the other with a finger, “Actually, I was thinking  _ you _ hated me… Why did you think I hated you? I don’t!” He laughed in the confusion of the situation, Korone had saved the phone back on her purse and turned her whole body to him, with a smile as strange as his.

“You don’t?! I thought you did! For the way I treated you when we were in the inn…” She stopped with a finger on her mouth, fixing her glasses on the neck of her dress, “I’m… kind of happy that you… you make Okayu happy, and that makes me happy too, crap I should be able to explain this better,” She coughs in frustration, fanning her face and looking back at Takumi with a familiar disgusted look, “Can you stand a little farther? You smell too strong I can’t focus.”

He nodded in silence and moved back a little, “Like a hundred sweaty lumberjacks… or whatever that means, is what Okayu said.”

“Ah yeah, she used that same analogy before, Jesus she’s crazy for you,” Muttering the last part, she gave him a sad smile and took a deep breath before continue, “I could swear you hated me, for what I know Okayu repeatedly tells you how I’m much more important for her than you.”

Takumi nodded again with his lower lip doing a comical affirmation, Korone releasing her signature two-part, an acute shout of euphoria due to his face, “Yes she does that, she does that a lot indeed,” He continues nodding, squeezing all possible laughter out of her body, “But I don’t mind, we’ve met for five months and only dated three, you know each other for what four? Seven years? I think is her way to tell me I can’t get the same closure in such little time.”

“Y-you’re taking it b-better than I thought,” Korone insists a little, taking short breaths recovering from the attack of laughter he gave her, “Takumi, there’s something I’d like to ask.” Pulling her serious side with one more cough, placing both hands on her legs, “Do you know the thing Okayu wants the most?”

“Eh? Is that it, that’s how our problem ends?” Forcing a chuckle with a swing of his arm, he replies with another question, this time Korone frowns, no longer following the quips of the man, and feeling the change of mood, Takumi drops the skit, “… Yes, I do know.”

Korone’s fingers held tight on the sunglasses, “So? What do you think about it? Can you give that to her?” She looked up to him with tight lips, “Or are you two just messing around?”

“I’m not sure that’s something I should be talking with you,” He answered at the second taking on the defensive.

“You mean you aren’t sure you should be talking about it with the girl who has been friends with her for, what? Four, seven years?” Korone suggests all haughty, with a thumb pointing to self.

“Good point,” Takumi nods, repeating the lip expression from before, Korone laughing off guard and smacking his arm by reflex, holding on his arm and calming down, tilting her head with a fixed, silent smile, “Fine, fine, no need of the puppy face… I want to be the man who gives that to her, but you know it has only been three months right?”

“Dude and you still wonder why she insists to say you aren’t close to her as me?” Korone quickly flicks his forehead, and the moment he scratches the hurt with his right hand, she flicks his nose, “Take the clue, she wants you to step on the gas!”

Takumi slowly scratched both forehead and nose, angry at her sharp nails, but considering her words, “Do you think so?” He hesitates still, Korone tries to flick his face again, but he dodges her with the palm of his hands, starting on a kiddy karate fight between the two, “Korone… Korone! I’m serious this time, please!”

“She uses your boxers you idiot she’s stuck on you!” The dog-girl tells him in a mix of anger and naught, moving as if she were sparring on a boxing gym, giggling, flicking, and tickling him all over, “The reason she’s always pointing at that gap between you and she is that she wants you to hurry up and close that distance!”

“But I’m afraid…!” Takumi yelled, almost screamed, almost loud enough to call on the attention of the other costumers walking around the mall, he grabbed on her hands to stop her playing, gulping down saliva, “What if I do it and she thinks I’m not taking it seriously enough? That I’m being too early on it.”

“Urgh, now I know why Choco gets so frustrated with you!” Korone barks and stands up, now her taking on his hands, pulling him up from the stool, “Come with me, I’ll show you, no… I’ll help you.”

He stumbled slightly when standing, more confused than ever, “Wait what do you mean, where are you taking me, Okayu is gonna be here soon.”

“If I know her well she lost the bus and will be here in another hour, that’s enough time,” Korone explains all seriously, shaking his hands, squishing his fingers, “I’m… I’m going to give you a PSA of what you need to know and do… So pull your stuff together, she needs a though, funny man, not the handful of nerves you’re being right now.” Releasing one of his hands she quickly turns and begins to walk, pulling him to follow her on the halls of the mall.

Takumi shakes his head, with a sarcastic smile he holds on her hand properly, walking to her side, “You’re right, things like these are why Choco gets so mad at me, I’ll though it up, so show me what to do, I’m on your hands.”

“That’s more like it, ah, yeah one more question,” Korone tells with a swirl of her finger getting her sunglasses back on, “Is what Okayu says just a lie or are you two really…” She stops with hesitation, gently blushing, suddenly looking aside, “You know… from late night to early morning… don’t you two ever get sore?”

“Ok,  _ now _ that’s something I definitely won’t answer,” Takumi says back with a gesture of his free hand and back, both laughing at the reaction of the other.

“Eh… Did I get their messages wrong?” A white-haired girl questions out loud, wearing a blue blouse and a white shirt over, only buttoned at the middle, a long skirt and a baseball cap, she was walking around the fountain stools, like dancing, looking for her friends, “They said they were waiting on here… maybe this is the wrong mall? Oh God, I went to the wrong mall,” Getting anxious when scrolling the message story on her phone, looking everywhere with eyes wide open.

“Hey pretty girl, over here!” Korone yells from the upper floor leaning on the security fence, Takumi holding her from the waist so she doesn’t fall, “Hurry up!” She shouts again when pushing back, both her and Takumi walking to the mechanical stairs as Okayu skips with a smile to meet with them.

As Okayu is slowly brought to the first floor by the stairs, excited and unable to squish between the people in front of her, “You guys! Looks like you’re… getting… along?” She questions and huffs, covering her laughing face with a hand when looking at Takumi stuffed with bags in both hands, “You shouldn’t have told her about your credits cards…”

“The person who arranged a group meeting in the mall center should have warned me about it beforehand,” He groans and sighs annoyed as the cat-girl steps in front of him, leaning to share a beak kiss.

Korone jumping at her right as the couple separates, “I bought a lot of cool stuff! Nothing was spent in vain!” She kissed her cheek and snuggled on her, “Want us to hit the karao- Ugh, you reek of Takumi, are you using one of his shirts again?!”

“His closet is my closet,” Okayu replies with a smug smile while shaking the white shirt proudly, “And sure let’s go to the karaoke now, you just ransacked his wallet so I can’t get anything from him now.”

Guiding the way in the city, the girls started on a quiet chit-chat, constantly looking back to Takumi with nasty stares and smirks, like teen girls sharing on the hottest gossips, giggling over and over and playing with the hands of the other. He could only frown at their looks and guess their comments, still smiling a little, fixed on the way Okayu was when close of her friend, yet the distracted man didn’t notice they walked over the avenue with the coffee and karaoke shops, crossing the street further between the masses of people, the girls had stopped at a corner with red cheeks, he tilted his head for a second, and just the moment after, before he could even put the question in words, he realized, the discreet motel entrance right next to them. Takumi stuttered and extended his hand, he tried to be the first to point it out, but their faces said it all, it was an anxious moment for the three, basically having a conversation through facial expressions, Okayu was the first to take a step in, with a gentle gesture of her body and a warm smile, she looked back at the other two and continued her walk inside, Korone followed next, gulping down saliva and with a hand holding on her chest, Takumi followed briefly after.

Okayu kept taking on the initiative, talking with the receptionist, bringing cash from her wallet and handing it to her, receiving the card key of a room in exchange, bashful, she gestured to Korone and Takumi with a swing of her head, the three of them each time redder. Two floors up on the motel, Okayu opens the door and they come inside, she hurries to close it and take the bags off Takumi’s hands with a nervous and horny giggle, placing them over a dressing table, the man walks all stiff and sits in the edge of the bed, making the animal-girls release a tiny laughter, it has been fifteen minutes and none of them have spoken a single time, the girls sitting on each side of the boy, Okayu continues taking the situation with ease, playfully taking off her shoes and pushing her body inside the bed, turning and crawling on her knees up to the lap of Takumi, giggling and taking off the cap, tossing it on a corner of the room, fixing her hair with both hands and taking the white shirt off, all while looking directly on her boyfriend, confused eyes, standing on her blouse, showing both the absence of a bra and her erected nipples poking through the cloth, her hands rested on his shoulders, slowly caressing up to his neck, sharing the first kiss and melting in a gentle moan; her entire body resting over him, her fingers running through the back of his head on the second kiss, scratching his hair with passion.

Takumi started to give in, opening his mouth and receiving her tongue; he stared to his right with concern, Korone holding on his hand like she could break it, looking at both in vivid red, with excitement, with worry, she bit on a finger looking at them kiss for a third time, Okayu looking at her by the corner of her eyes, like a whole different person her friend had never seen before, with their eyes fixed on the other, the cat-girl pulled away with a string of saliva hanging, licking on her lips, Korone looks down in shame with agitated series of breaths, trying to move close to the couple, giving a small surprised whimper when her leg bumped with Takumi’s, the man opening the hand hold to cross their fingers, she raised her head again to look on him, as embarrassed as hers, while Okayu opened his shirt button by button and licked on his neck, they closed the distance of their faces little by little, anxious and calm, excited and guilty, the tip of their noses making contact and forcing them to look at the other, sharing perverted smiles, feeling the respiration on each other faces, approaching to the moment, their cheeks meeting and rubbing against, quiet gestures of lust as their lips run across, exploring the new person in front of them, finally breaking on a sudden kiss, pulling away, looking at the other with guilt, slowly kissing again, closing their eyes in pleasure, Korone using her free hand to caress his chest, Takumi responding with deep kisses, rubbing on her lips, their teeth clinks in a clumsy attempt to shove their tongues, Korone giggles awkwardly, but quickly comes back, opening her mouth, wildly meeting with the man, exchanging saliva, Okayu middling when they finally managed to relax, taking a surprised kiss from Korone, who melts on her and kisses her back.

“Is this what you two planned to do today?” After three hours in the room, Okayu headed first on the shower, leaving Korone and Takumi alone, none of them able to look at the other, naked, sitting on opposite extremes of the bed, Takumi scratching the back of his head, ashamed, sweaty, tired, he sighs and slightly turns to the dog-girl behind, “Was… was this okay to do?”

Korone’s tail shyly waving on the bed, dragging part of the blankets with it, “I was telling her about how we solved our dispute in a blink and all of a sudden she proposed to come here,” Looking up to the tender gleam of the yellow lights, she sighs as loud and awkward as him, “It felt… good if that’s what you’re asking, but right now I don’t have the guts to see you or your thing again,” Groaning and shaking her head, she stands up and begins to pick up her clothes spread on the floor, “I just want to take a bath, dress up and walk away from this place as soon as possible.”

“Thank you again, for all the help you gave me… before this,” Takumi explains between forced pauses, placing a towel over his legs, giving more of a proper look to the figure of the dog-girl, “Forgive me for pulling on your tail too, I got too excited.”

“No… that also felt good,” She confessed to him, taking on his shirt, making it onto a ball and tossing it on his face, “I didn’t know that place was sensitive, I’ll keep it as reference.” Korone smiled at her with honesty, “But from now on, it’ll be your work to keep Okayu from proposing things like these.”

Takumi snorts on her last comment, sharing another guilty laughter, “What about if you tell her  _ no _ next time?”

“None of you know how that word works, but that’s great for me,” Okayu interrupts walking out of the shower, drying her hair and her ears, “That was amazing and we definitely should do it again.”

_ “No,” _ Korone and Takumi replied in unison.

With a kiss on the cheek, the girls waved goodbye, but when Korone approached the man, she sparked in red when leaning close to his face, abruptly stretching her arm instead, shaking hands with him and walking away with her side of the shopping. “You sure made an impression to her,” Okayu huffs with an odd smile, snuggling on his arm and walking with him in the contrary direction, making a gasp of curiosity when looking a couple of bags hanging on his other hand, “Oh, what’s that? You bought something for me?” She leans trying to steal the bags and failing, “Aw, let me take a peek, is it something dirty? We could’ve used it on the motel.”

“… Maybe next week I’ll show you, after the flavor of today had washed entirely,” Takumi groans pulling the bags away from the more she tries to grab them, “Honestly, we should have gone to the karaoke.”

Winter decided to show up by the end of November, greeting the island with its cold breeze, embracing the city wholeheartedly; dead trees on the streets and dry leaves flying by, golden dusks giving in to early nights each evening more, and red, green and white combinations of Christmas colors making headway on the calendar, and inside of Takumi’s apartment, another special day was being announced beforehand. “Okayu…” He whispers with a lamenting tone, staring full of guilt at the cat-girl prostrated in a corner, scratching the wall with a finger, her face boiling red, Takumi gave a loud sigh from the other side of the bedroom, sitting on his bed, in the middle of him and Okayu, there was a small leather, white box, with a ring made of silver, four little diamonds inside flower decorations across a blue-sky line “This is, a step I want to take with you.”

The girl nodded with a childish whimper, like crying, “Yeah I got that clear… I’m still trying to process it…”

“As I thought… this was too early, right?” He wonders and leans to take the little box and bring it to his side, giving it a last look and closing it.

“No, wait!” Okayu shout extending her arm when he was about to save it back on a pocket of his pants, bright red, she tried to sit on the floor, “Is not… too early… I think is the right time is just…” She explains as if having an asthma attack, breathing in and out between words, pulling a towel hanging on the back of a chair with the tips of her claws, burying it in her face,  _ “I’M JUST SO HAPPY!” _ She screamed on the towel muffling the sound, violently waving her legs, her tail slapping the floor like a whip from left to right, gradually calming down, “But… I’m also scared… so scared…”

“I… I know… For starters, can you come closer?” Takumi tells while bringing the ring back to her sight, the cat-girl, sitting seiza, crawled with her nails and knees through the floor to meet with him, “Do you want to try wearing it?” He asks opening the box again, showing the jewelry.

“W-w-w-what makes you think I want to wear it?!” Okayu defies him with a trembling and shy voice, her right hand shaking the closer of the box, her eyes so big and so fixed in it they could reflect the bright of the diamonds.

“Maybe because the moment I proposed it you bounced all over the room screaming  _ ‘YES! YES! YES, I DO!’ _ like a superball,” He suggests shaking his arms and pretending to copy the cat-girl’s face of excitement.

Okayu went close and hit him on the chest, “ _ DO NOT _ make me laugh at a moment like this! This is not the moment!” With remaining problems to breathe she tries to scold him, with a huge smile making bulges on her cheeks, “Ah… ah… fine… m-my hands are too shaky, can you help me?”

“With pleasure,” Takumi replied excitedly, with a smile similar to hers, he sat on the floor in front of her and held on her hand, gently caressing her fingers and placing the ring in place, Okayu once again shaking her legs and tail, squirming loudly, “H-how is it? I felt I went too far asking for a customized ring in the shop…”

“Wait a minute what? This is… you ordered to make this?” A drop of sweat running through her forehead, looking up to him and back to the ring jaw-dropped, “This is an original… Was this what you bought with Korone the other week at the mall?”

“And with Ayame, and Choco, and Mio… Sora… the whole gang, Korone called them to help us in how it should be made and look,” Takumi explains playing with the leather box, “So, do you like it?”

“Like it? It’s incredible…” Okayu gasps amazed at it, taking on her hand by the wrist, placing it against the light of the room from different angles, always giggling, bouncing on the same place, “Takumi… this is… I can’t even think properly, I’m so happy I could explode.”

“Just come here,” He tells her stretching his arms with a smile, “Let me be part of your life.”

“Sure!” Okayu screams and leaps on him, hugging him tight and rolling on the floor together, repeatedly kissing his cheek while laughing, “I want a life with you! I’m so happy! You make me so happy!” She stood over him with little tears coming up, wrapping his neck and giving him a deep kiss.

Takumi kisses her back, holding on her head with both hands, “Hey one more thing,” He tries to say between kisses and laughs, “The girls are dying to know, especially Korone, let’s get everyone tonight and make a toast in the usual bar,” Getting up on the floor while holding her body from the back he explains with a smile.

“Everyone knew?! Why nobody told me?!” Okayu jumps still high on the thrill of emotions, racing to bring the phone out of her purse, and desperately tapping over the screen, placing the phone on her ear, “Korone…? Korone, he did it! He proposed! YES, HE DID! LOOK!” She took the phone and brought the camera app, grinning like a child on the morning of Christmas when unwrapping her gifts, taking a thousand of pictures with and without flash, “Did you see it?! Can you see it! Korone!!! KORONE I’M GETTING MARRIED!!! She screams her lungs out, excited, overwhelmed in happiness, red, and sweating all at the same time.

“For Okayu and Takumi, cheers!” At night in a private corner of the city, a handful of familiar faces had reunited inside a bar, with elegant attires and night dresses, celebrating by the guiding voice of Choco, after a long, sweet, and entertaining toast from the woman, everyone clanks their glasses together and cheerfully took a sip of alcohol, “You better don’t screw this one up Takumi!” The demon lady tells him with ill intentions in her tone, everyone laughing at the obvious indirect.

“Congratulations on your wedding!” Luna and Rushia shout in unison, hugging the man from both sides.

“Oi, careful, don’t make me drop this!” Takumi laughs juggling so the glass of wine doesn’t fall off his hand, petting the girls’ heads with tenderness, “Thank you for coming today, it wouldn’t have any meaning without you.”

Rushia steps back with a smirk, “Worry not, I’m here to make sure everything goes well, as your best man!” She huffs bumping her chest, quickly taking a cup of wine a bartender hands her when passing by.

“Hah?! You can’t be the best mannanora, _ I’ll _ be the best man!” Luna pouts from his back, the little pink-haired girl being handed a large glass of orange juice, “Big bro only needs one, and that’s gonna be menanora!”

“Does any of you remember what the best man is, to begin with?” Takumi middles on the fight while taking a sip of wine.

“Don’t lie to yourself; we know you don’t have friends!” Both girls replied in unison once again, waving their hands.

Takumi sighed unable to fight back on their accusation, quietly looked left and right around the bar, Aki, Choco, Korone, and Mio surrounding an already dizzy Okayu on a couch in the corner of the room, loudly chatting, constantly asking for her hand to gave a look at the ring, celebrating and screeching, the dog-girl waving her cocktail in the air and looking at him with a smile, the man replying to her gesture, in the same way, just to look back to Luna, “Best man or not, I’m glad you’re here… but I see Matsuri didn’t come.”

The sentence made the other two shriek awkwardly, playing with their drinks and looking down, “Well… She wanted me to tell you she isn’t angry or anything, but don’t ask her to go to your wedding,” Luna explains as calm as possible, taking a chug of juice.

“That’s… fair enough, we finally made up, I don’t want to lose her again,” Takumi tries to soothe the hit with an awkward giggle, the other two trying to laugh it off with him.

With an aggressive smack on his back, a girl with long clear-blue hair and twintails appears from behind, “In the case of Aqua she still thinks you hate her, I tried to convince her to come tonight but failed, sorry” The girl explained with a grin, making quick signals to the bartender to bring her a drink.

“Mea!” Takumi shout surprised, leaning to hug her and do a fist bump, “Yeah I thought that so far, I’ve told her many times everything is okay but she doesn’t believe me.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t noticed Subaru is also missing,” Rushia mutters apathetic and looking away, sipping on her drink when Luna and Mea gave her death stares.

“Wait, what’s with Subaru? Why didn’t she come?” Takumi asks in absolute confusion, confirming the absence of the cheerful short-haired girl, only finding Ayame, Fubuki, Marine, Noel, and Flare talking on a different couch, Pekora sitting by her own on the bar, silently sipping on her drink with a face full of melancholy.

“Oh no, nothing, I was just thinking out loud, hehehe…” Rushia forces an excuse trying not to cry in pain while Mea pinches one of her arms with all possible strength.

Takumi got distracted on the face of the bunny-girl, handing his glass of wine to Luna, “I see… give me a second,” He told them before walking away, Mea taking the glass off Luna’s hands before she can try the liquor, Rushia taking the chance of Takumi leaving to scream from the pain and beg to Mea to release her. He sat in silence in the footstool right next to her, Pekora gave him a silent smile, dipping a finger on her drink a sucking on it, “Are you too… mad at me?”

“Of course peko not,” Pekora answered at the second, leaning her head on his shoulder, “I’m just a bit sad… this is all so familiar peko, last time I felt like this was after Aqua’s wedding.”

“I thought you said you weren’t interested in marriage yet,” Takumi says, holding on her hand softly, Pekora responding by playing with his fingers, he asks for a drink from the bartender.

“And I’m still not interested, but, I still can’t help but feel jealous peko,” She tells him bittersweet, taking another sip of her drink, “Of course, I’m happy for you peko but it's hard to pull a smile right now, and I didn’t want to be your party pooper.”

“Just that this time we can’t do from what before,” He implies with naught, starting to feel the effects of the liquor, “Well, you better though it up, you are going to be my best man in the wedding,” He tells her back, slightly pinching her nose.

“Do you know what the best man is right?” Pekora chuckled slapping his hand away.

“C’mon, you know I don’t have any friends besides you,” Takumi insists leaning on her, one of the bartenders giving him another glass of wine.

“Eh, you two are friends? Since when?” Okayu appeared from the other side, wasted on alcohol, resting her head on the wooden table.

“May as well do it now while you’re dizzy,” The man explains when holding Pekora from the shoulders, presenting her to Okayu like a gift, “Do you remember the person I always talk about and say is my best friend? Here she is, Pekora is to me what Korone is to you,” He proudly says, rubbing on the arms of the bunny-girl growing red.

“K-knock it off you dumbass, that’s embarrassing,” Pekora shrugs on his arms like a puppy trying to run away.

“Nope, not happening, this is a great night and I want my best buddy to be with me!” Takumi shouts breaking on character, raising his glass, and turning to the group of girls, “Pekora is going to be my best man!” He screams cheerfully, everyone clapping and screaming in reflex, Luna, and Rushia being held by the shoulders from Mea as they try to start on a tantrum.

“Urgh, my ears are ringing… is the coffee not ready yet?” Korone groans massaging the sides of her head, the day after, she woke up inside of Takumi’s apartment, sitting on the kitchen table and hiding from the light, wearing a two-piece, white silk pajama, her messy hair, the marks of claws on both her clothes and her arms, and the naked man behind her washing the mugs as the coffeemaker finishes its job, all signs that a peculiar  _ skinship _ session had repeated between those walls, “Okayu always talks about your coffee… but I don’t see the anything different from how I make mine?”

“That’s probably because I don’t buy powdered brands, I grind the beans here,” He explains gently tapping a small device with the shape of a blender, but Korone doesn’t turn back to look at it. Serving the black and hot beverage on three different mugs, two on his right, one on his left joined with a little bottle of rum, he circled Korone and handed her a coffee, signaling her to wait with a finger, opening the cork of the bottle, pouring a little of liquor on her mug and breaking a thin stick of cinnamon and using it as a mixer, “This hits amazing after a hangover, trust me,” He winks at her and tries to kiss her on the lips, but Korone pushes his face away.

“No, no, no, stay away Casanova, not in the mood,” She snarls with a disgusted look, taking the mug, smelling the adultered drink with hesitation, but after the first sip, her tail makes a single, happy swing, taking a longer sip, silently smiling, “Ah… it tastes good, and it would taste even better if I didn’t have to see your thing swinging around,” She complains with more composure, her eyes stuck on the limb below his waist, “…I’m trying to get sober, not horny.”

“Is his apartment, he can be naked it if he wants it,” Okayu appears from the hall wearing another of Takumi’s shirts, frowning on pain like Korone, yawning and meeting with the man, sharing a morning kiss, taking on the coffee mug he gives to her and slowly recharging energies with each sip, “Ah this hits the spot…” She sighs relaxing on the warmth, now walking to Korone’s seat and kissing her cheek, “Good morning, sorry for the scratching, I got too wild last night.”

The dog-girl replied with another kiss, hiding a small burp with her hand and forcing a smile, “You’re like… a total different Okayu when the switch flips, I like that Okayu, a bit, don’t worry,” Korone tries to explain mildly embarrassed, fighting the sequels of the last party, “But you know…? I don’t want to do this anymore,” She confesses with a little sad groan, leaning on Okayu’s head.

“Really? But… it feels so good when you’re with me,” Okayu tells her playfully her hair mixing with Korone’s.

“Maybe, but you’re going to get married to him next year, we need to stop it while we can,” She insists, forcefully rubbing her face against.

“Boohoo! If that’s the case let’s go wild today again, is barely Saturday, and Takumi can last a weekend without food and water, I know that form experience,” Okayu proposes with an evil smile, holding on her the dog-girl right breast with the whole hand, kissing her cheek.

“No, Okayu… really,” Korone’s voice turned serious for a moment, Takumi silently eavesdropping on the conversation from afar, “The first time was going too far already, I’m not sure how I accepted to do this a second time.”

“Pretty please, at least until the evening?” Okayu shakes her from the shoulders, kissing her cheek repeatedly.

_ “OKAYU I SAID NO,” _ Korone screamed all of a sudden, smashing the cup against the table, miraculously not breaking it, Okayu turning mute and pale, with a face full of horror from her friend's reaction, Korone clenching her fists, “I’m… sorry,” She mutters angrily, hurrying to escape to the balcony, passing through Okayu and Takumi, slamming the glass door open and slowing down on the fence, sighing and shaking her head.

The cat-girl, still acting as if she had seen a ghost, walked in the point of her heels out of the kitchen, “Takumi… what do I do…?” With a chirping and sobbing voice, she wonders to her fiancée.

The man walked to her and stroke her back, kissing her forehead, “First of all, take a chug,” He explains giving her a try of his drunk coffee, the cat-girl nods and forces to take a sip, gasping from the heat and the liquor mixed in, “Now, you go and talk with her, no shortcuts,” He whispers giving a second kiss on her cheek, gently pushing her from the waist, “I’ll give you girls a moment, I’m going to look for my pants,” Ruffling her hair, he walks back inside the room.

Okayu sighs like she was sick on a sudden cold, approaching to the balcony as if it were to fall off the building if she steps too hard in it, shrugging when feeling the breeze of the morning, skipping the rest of the track to Korone and leaning on the fence on the dog-girl's left, “Korone… I’m sorry if it felt I was forcing you to be with us…”

“You and Takumi are an engaged couple now, I shouldn’t be taking part in this…” Korone begins to lecture her friend the moment Okayu finishes on her sentence, both staring at the landscape of building roofs and city streets, “Maybe… if things were different… like…” She extended her hands, trying to explain her thoughts, but she stopped at the end shaking her head, “No… That’s just a fantasy…” She chuckled and frowns, hangover mixed on a sad smile confusing Okayu even more, “The thing is… This is your life now, a path you should be walking with him and only with him,” She turns to Okayu and holds on her hands, slowly tearing up, “Sex… feels good, but at the end of the day I’m not part of this relationship, and it hurts… Please Okayu, I can’t keep taking part in these games.”

As the breeze makes their hair flutter, Korone stops in her confession with an innocent giggle, fixing Okayu’s hair, discovering a silent, crying cat, “All this time… The only thing I’ve been thinking…” She screeches with hiccups and watery eyes, growing weaker on each word, Korone firmly holding on her hands, “That if I get serious with him… I may get distanced of you and… I wanted to keep you as close as possible, now that I’m engaged, I’m scared more than ever … To lose you on my new life, I don’t want to Korone! I don’t want to!”

“It’ll be fine Okayu… Breath…” With a motherly tone, Korone snorts her tears, taking Okayu’s left hand and gently caressing the ring, “Did you know…? Takumi and I bought this ring together for you.”

“Toge… what?” Okayu squirms trying to weep her tears with her free hand, “B-but, Takumi said you and the girls helped him to choose… I thought he had bought it for…”

Korone giggles and shakes her head, “I got too embarrassed about it later, so I asked him to lie about it,” With a shy gesture of her hand, Korone strokes her shoulder, bringing her close, slowly hugging her, Okayu jumping and wrapping her, making the dog-girl release another giggle, she squishes her back, “It was exactly to tell you even after married… I would always be close to you, no matter how far.” Okayu broke on tears right on her words, screaming and tightly holding onto her back, “We’ll probably be distanced… a lot of times and, that scares me too, that scares me a lot,” Korone tells her with an acute screech, holding back her desire to scream as Okayu continues decomposing, stroking her head and whispering a short lull to calm her down, “But… that’s part of life… we’ll do our best to stay close, but we have to make on the idea, things will be different from now on, even if it’s scary.”

Knocking on the glass door with his knuckles, Takumi bumps in their conversation all dressed up, sighing at first unable to speak up from seeing both of the girls tearing up, signaling with a finger, bringing two large pieces of papers from the pocket of his pants, “I was thinking… Maybe Korone could use this with you instead…” He suggests walking to them and handing the papers to sobbing Okayu.

“Are those, plane tickets?” Korone tilts her head in confusion, breathing deeply to stop her hiccups.

“Y-yup… We were planning, to make a runaway trip to Hawaii in New Year’s,” Okayu nods and sobs, cleaning her nose on one of the sleeves of the man’s shirt she was wearing, “But, are you sure…? You want to do that?” She leans on the man.

“Yeah you two need it the most right now, just take a lot of pictures for me while you’re there,” Takumi stresses with a smile, kissing the girl’s head and looking at Korone with guilt, “Korone is right on that things will be different… But I’m not planning to take you away from her, I want you two to stay together, take this trip and have fun, we’ll have our adventures after marriage.”

The dog-girl walks between the two and hugs both at the same time, barking and squishing them tight, “I can see now… this is the part of you the girls say they hate, I finally get it,” She giggles looking up to him, then kissing Okayu on the cheek, “How did you pay for the tickets? I thought I emptied your credit cards,” She asks now with sarcasm, slowly recovering, taking burst laughter out of them.

“Yeah and they’re still bleeding red numbers thanks for asking,” Takumi chuckled at her question, everyone starting to cheer up, “I got on a bigger debt I’ll be paying up to March probably, but its okay, right now, Korone, I just want to make sure you know, I can be your friend too, I won’t break your friendship in half.”

“Thank you, I know you are,” Korone nods and sighs, stepping aside, looking at the couple with an endearing smile, holding both of their hands, “Thank you Takumi…” She whispers happily, releasing his hand, hurrying to hug Okayu, who replies just as fast, “I love you, Okayu.”

The cat-girl takes a deep breath, between tears and giggles, wrapping her friend, “I love you too Korone, I love you so much.”


	4. The Debt (Choco's Ending)

“There’s supposedly a saying about a pot which never boils if you’re always checking on it you know? Or something along those lines,” Inside a white sedan coming from the corner of the avenue, Choco cheerfully shouts to Takumi, who was sitting at the bus station, checking on his phone with a pissed-off expression. 

Takumi swirls his eyes and huffs, saving his phone in one of the pockets of the pants, giving her a long and sarcastic nod he turns to her, “What’s that suppose to mean?”

“Oh  _ you know _ what I mean, you were checking the bus schedule while sitting at the bus stop, tell me that isn’t funny!” She chuckles with malice, resting both arms and face on the window of the car’s door.

“What do you want, Choco? Don’t you have a wedding party to go to?” He questions with anger, crossing his arms, resting his back against the wall of the stop.

The blonde woman gives him a silent giggle, fixing her hair, deeply staring at him with detail, “I thought you would like a ride back home, come on! Hope in!” She tells him smacking the door of the car with a hand.

With reluctance at first, Takumi bids and stops midway, judging Choco’s smile, sighs shaking his head, and finally stands up, circling around the car to open the left door and get in, “Thank you…” He muttered with another sigh, closing the door and fastening the seat belt.

“Here, I picked up your tie and jacket, you shouldn’t just throw away your clothes like that, they look so expensive,” Choco explains while giving him a slight lecture, turning to the back seat of the car and leaning to take the clothes from the cushion and toss it on his legs, turning back and checking on the control lever, starting the engine and slowly accelerating out of the avenue.

“… Thank you, again,” Takumi mutters for a second time, this chance, unable to say it with an angered tone, as he finds his wallet in one of the pockets of the jacket, discretely saving it on his pants for Choco to don’t see, folding the jacket and leaving it over his lap, taking the tie, starting to wrap it around the neck of his shirt as Choco stops on a red light.

“You know? Of all things I never thought your name would be ‘Takumi’, it doesn’t fit you at all, except the  _ ‘skillful’  _ part perhaps,” She chuckles again, leaning to his side still with both hands on the steering wheel.

“What were you expecting my name to be,  _ ‘Tanaka’ _ ?” He replies with sarcasm, silently looking at the other before sharing honest laughter, Choco sitting back and stepping on the gas the moment the light changes.

“I was expecting something more like the name of the main character in an anime series like…” She pauses muffling her cheeks, bringing a hand to her chin meditating on her next joke for a long second, “I don’t know,  _ ‘Ryuuzou’ _ ? Something that would leave everyone speechless,” Choco continues explaining flapping her hand in circles, Takumi silently shaking his head trying not to laugh, the woman took a pause and looked at him with the corner of her eyes as she drove in the highway, gulping down saliva, slightly frowning, “I’m sorry things ended like this,” She whispers in a suddenly serious tone, extending her arm to ruffle his head.

“It's fine, I’m just trying to pretend nothing of this happened,” Takumi answers with calm, turning on the window, looking at the other cars pass by.

Choco’s lips close like a zip from hearing those words, giving him a judgmental look, “Takumi… The wedding party is still going as we talk, you can’t just pretend you weren’t there,” She scolds him with a quick gesture of her hand and mouth; “This is something you can’t get over that easily.”

“… Choco, please,” He stretches his hand like telling her to stop talking, taking a deep angered breath and pressing his face against the window.

“I’m just saying!” The woman’s tone raises on a deep pitch, still on lecturing mode, “If you really want to overcome what you’re feeling right now, you definitely should-“

“CHOCO!” He screamed interrupting her, with a frustrated groan he smacked his right leg with an arm, huffing like a bull, startling the woman, who sat mute and stiff, keeping her eyes on the road, “Just… not now ok?” Takumi begs while leaning on the back of the seat, covering his face with both hands with another angrily sigh, the rest of the trip continues in an awkward phalanx of silence.

Thirty minutes later Choco stops the car in the parking lot of Takumi’s apartment building, removing the keys and getting off with him, pretending to only look at their phones, giving quick sights to the other, walking to the entrance and up the stairs. “Ok, you gave me a ride back home all right, all the way to my apartment’s door even,” Takumi tells her with a tiresome expression when bringing his keys, “Thank you, really, you can go back to the party now,” He insists with both voice and hands, slowly removing the locks of the door.

“Nope, I’m not leaving you alone today, you need to have someone to your side, even if you don’t like it,” The woman insists back, taking a step in front of him and gently embracing his left arm, Choco looked down for a second, cleared her throat and fixed her hair, then continued, “And, If it weren’t because of me… you probably would have never met Aqua and, you wouldn’t be feeling the way you’re feeling…” She nervously confesses to him, gripping her fingers on the fabric of his shirt, forcing a small smile.

Takumi tried to reply, but felt useless to do it at the very second, spouting a nonsensical babble when stopping before starting, he just opened the door and let her come inside, getting him later and closing it, “I’ve never thought this was your fault, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it,” He explains as he leaves the jacket over the hall-stand, facing the wall, leaving his shoes on the receiver and walking in.

“But now that I told you, you’re considering it, am I wrong? The way you said that without looking at me says it all,” Choco replies back with a frustrating sight, taking off her heels and following him as he gets into the kitchen, he doesn’t give her an immediate answer but bids in front of a mini-fridge and takes a bottle of wine from it, “If all men were as easy to read as you…” She mourns quickly scanning the kitchen and hurrying to pick a couple of crystal cups.

“What do you want from me Choco; do you want me to make you pay the broken plates?” He wonders standing up, slowly removing the etiquette and metal wire attached to the cork, inhaling shortly as he tightly holds in the lid, removing it with a simple – Pop! –turning back to Choco as she hands him the first cup, serving the black colored liquor, giving it back to her and taking the second cup, filling it almost entirely, leaving the bottle on the counter table.

Choco’s right eyebrow goes up looking at the full filled glass almost dripping on the floor, “I’m just worried for you, you’re clearly the type of guy who holds on everything and then erupts on the wrong moment, just like some hours ago,” She describes to him as she points to an imaginary picture in the air, leaning her back on the table from the other side of the kitchen, “For starters, you should accept that what happened today is real, and there’s no turning point from it.”

“… And how do I do that?” He defies her proposition with a sarcastic shrug.

“Like this,” She smiled and extender the arm in which she was holding the wine, “For Aqua and Mea, may they be happy,” Tuning as if she were giving a toast, Choco tilts her head with a fixed expression.

Takumi stutters from the suggestion, with a sad look growing on his face, yet he walked in front of her and clanks his glass with hers, “…For Aqua and Mea…” He whispers closing his yes, instantly taking a chug of wine, almost emptying the glass, gasping loudly from the burning sensation inside his mouth, “May they be happy!” He forces to shout, looking for a paper towel in the kitchen and cleaning his mouth.

“Well, it’s a start,” She chuckles and shrugs with sarcasm, taking a long sip of her glass and looking with worry at how Takumi refilled his drink again to the edge of the top.

“Ok, and now what?” He asks with the bottle on his left and the glass on his right.

“Now we…” She quickly brings her phone from the cleavage of her dress, gesturing with a finger, starting on the radio which plays an upbeat melody, leaving it along with the glass on the table and taking away the rest of the liquor out of Takumi’s hand, placing it all together, “We dance, come,” Choco extends her right hand inviting him, “You could’ve just not gone to the wedding, but you did it anyway, and this is something you should’ve done in the reception party,” Takumi stares at her hand with doubt, but slowly takes on her and reunite, her left on his right shoulder, his left on her waist, quietly, leisurely spinning around the kitchen, “If you hadn’t done that childish tantrum, right now you would’ve been sweeping the dance floor with Subaru.”

Takumi frowns with a confused smile, “Eh? What’s with Subaru?” He questions next with a little giggle.

“Hah… You sure are slow on the uptake,” Choco sighs resting her head on his chest, they continue dancing around.

“… Your dress is beautiful, I’m sorry you didn’t have the chance to use it today,” Unsure of what she meant, Takumi changes the subject, wrapping her waist with an arm, dancing closer, slower.

“Worry not dear, part of the charm of this dress was to get a man who wants to look at me without it,” She suggests now with a tender tone, looking up to him, moving her hand from his shoulder, caressing her face.

“Is that the next step to get over it?” He stops and wonders, looking back at her with sadness.

Choco gently kissing his chin, “It depends… A heartbroken man tends to be very violent in the bed,” With a smile she whispers close to his ear, kissing his cheek, “I’m dying to know if that part of you will finally put these hands around my neck,” Slowly separating, looking at him all the time, “What do you say? Do you want to find out?”

“Let’s say that’s what happens, and I end fulfilling that fetish of yours,” Holding on her hands he implies the situation, bringing them to the height of his face and kissing them over, “After that, I would just feel so guilty of hurting you I wouldn’t forgive myself.”

Making her stutter with red cheeks, Choco’s smile grows uncontrollably, twitching as if she were being tickled, “Lord… you can be so cute sometimes, but is exactly because of that I want you to do it, don’t you know?” She questions, this time she approaches and kisses him on the lips, “A woman will never trust a man who doesn’t doubt of hurting her, why don’t you let me show you the ropes? We’ll have fun,” She takes his hand, the bottle, and the glasses and walks out of the kitchen, stops at the entrance of the hallway, and turns back to him, “But if you don’t feel in the mood… you can say no, I mean it,” She finishes firmly.

“You too can be cute sometimes,” Takumi tells kissing her back, now he taking the lead, guiding her to his room, “But I promised you we’ll do this anyway back on the party, just for today, I’ll let you take me on another of your schemes,” He opens the door and takes his glass back from her hands, “But this time, I won’t take your money for it… not anymore.”

Choco blushes again from his words and the kiss, hurrying to fight for Takumi’s wine, serving half of its content on her glass, “You’re quitting uh? Then let’s make this into your farewell party, goodbye to Nanashi, welcome to Takumi,” She explains with a clink against his glass, they take a sip together and get inside the room, leaving the liquor and glasses over the night table, Takumi sits on the bed and takes off his socks and belt, freezing with amazed eyes as Choco’s dress falls off on the floor, with a single twist on the ribbon knot on her back, like silk slipping on air, “A woman also loves when she’s admired with such a dumb expression,” She giggles with naught, only wearing some lacey panties, she sits on his lap and begins to remove his tie, kissing him as Takumi digs his thumbs on the straps of her underwear, the rest of his fingers grasping her ass, Choco taking the tie and leaving it over her right shoulder, Takumi kissing her neck when she starts to unbutton his shirt, the moment she removes the last button, the man surprises her by lifting her up, changing positions and tossing her on the bed, “Yay! Now we are talking!” She shouts happily, Takumi taking off his shirt and starting to remove his pants and boxers, slowly getting over her and helping her to get her panties off, “Uhm… looks like someone is more than ready down there,” Choco bites on her lips, feeling the warmth of his member fall on her pelvis, slowly sharing kisses with the other, embracing the other, Choco wrapping his neck with both arms, and legs around his waist, Takumi hugging her by holding on the back of her shoulders, gradually leaning his weight onto her, kissing with the tongue, feeling the softness of her breasts as their chests pressed together.

_ “Well Mister Hirose, I think we have everything we need, we’ll see you next week for your introduction class.” _

Walking out from the office room with an exhausted face, Takumi closes the door, turning left on a closed hallway where he barely fits until he comes out in a fancy, wooden reception, Choco, sitting on one of the seats on the waiting longue, hiding a giggle with her hand when watching him doing as much as possible for his shoulders to get unstuck from the door hole, “You need a bigger hall,” He tells to the receptionist with a thumb pointing behind his back, who contrary to Choco, she explodes in laughter as he checks of not having torn up his shirt.

“So? When are you starting to work?” Choco questions with a smile, quickly standing from the seat, skipping to him she holds on his right hand, walking together with him to the exit.

“Next Mon- Wait, that’s what you ask? Normally people would wonder first if the job interview went well,” Takumi trips on his words, gently holding her hand back and opening the door for her.

“Hah! I knew you would get the job, you have a lot of job references in your curriculum and you’re handsome,” Choco replies with a little laughter, following him to another hall with concrete stairs they slowly began to walk down the floor.

“I’m not sure what the second has anything to do, but thanks for believing in me I guess,” Swirling his eyes from the tone of her words, Takumi gives a loud sigh, Choco swinging their hands together as they walk.

“Well, you should also thank Siro for this… You may even want to pay her a visit,” The woman shyly confesses, covering her face with a lock of her blonde hair while doing so.

“What? Siro got me the job interview? That’s…” He stops in the middle of the stairs before reaching the ground floor, looking down and muttering frustrated noises, “Fuck, I must be the biggest idiot in the world, to think she still would lend me a hand after everything, I haven’t talked to her in months.”

Choco snorts and rubs his back, “Dude and you’re coming to realize it now?!” Laughing dastardly, releasing his hand and walking down the stairs with little jumps, turning back as if she were dancing and looking up to him with a more, honest smile, “There’s a lot of people out there who finds you, dear, even after all this, you should try looking around, maybe you’ll finally find a friend!” 

Takumi, making his distinctive confused frown, hurries to step down the stairs and meet with her, “Does that mean we are not friends?” He tries to take her hand, but she slaps it away with another giggle.

“Nope! I’m just making sure to repay my fuck buddy for all the damage I made,” She tells him closing her eyes and making a duck face, laughing dastardly and fixing her hair behind her shoulders, searching for composure, “But seriously, I’m glad you got the job, I have other things to do today so, see you this weekend I guess!” She waves with her left and turns to the door.

“Wait! Choco hold it for a second!” Takumi manages to shout with a gesture of his arm, following her to a plastic, transparent door giving look to the crowded city, “If what you said before is true… What about Matsuri, do…? Do you think you can help me with that?” 

Like the speed of thunder falling down on earth, Choco’s facial expression moved from happiness to anger, and from anger to disgust, Takumi took a step back and bit on his lip, giving her a silent nod, Choco pinched his nose with her nails, “Aqua and Matsuri are your own problem and you gotta find how to solve it alone, don’t ask something like that to anyone else ever again, they may think of you as a coward,” Releasing his nose, she gave him a gentle slap on the cheek and went back to the door, holding on the steel handle and stopping before opening it, “… Asking for help isn’t wrong, and maybe someone may want to aid you on that, maybe if you talk with Fubuki, maybe if you talk with Mea, but… If you expect any of us to talk to them for you and solve everything, without even facing them, then…” She looked back him one last time, Takumi releasing a muffled screech of fear, as Choco’s irises took the shape of a reptile's eye, her face sketching a terrifying smile, “Then you’re really a coward, and I’ve been wasting my time these weeks trying to get you back in shape,” She finishes with a powerful deep tone, finally opening the door and stepping out, Takumi still frozen on the entrance as people keep walking in and out, it took him a couple of mocking comments from passerby strangers to come back to his senses, he ran out of the building, searching left and right, but Choco was nowhere to be seen.

He mixed with the people, meditating on her words, sometimes stumbling with strangers, apologizing and continuing with his walk, stopping on an avenue when the red light appears, a handful of people start to scream and shout, pointing to one giant screen on a building, Takumi turns curious to know to what everyone is celebrating and recording with their phones, his first reaction is to snort in incredulity, yet he ends groaning in anger, scaring the crowd around him, “God this has to be a bad joke, really?!” He thinks out loud, scaring everyone for a second time, but still, his complaints weren’t enough to distract the people from the big announcement, as Aqua and Mea appeared together holding hands, showcasing their wedding rings. As soon as the pedestrian light changes to green, Takumi’s steps become erratic and hasty, almost running, yet not fast enough to be stopped by the policemen on the avenues. Spreading like the common flu, the announcement started to appear on every big screen on the buildings around, his anger growing bigger, no matter where he turns the AD restarts on the next screen, and everyone who recognizes them begin to cheer and record it with their phones, then when gazing the train station in the next street, he doesn’t think it twice. 

Desperately bringing his pass card to get inside, moving through the steel bars and searching for the schedule, looking for the one that stops near his neighborhood, slowing his pace, holding onto his chest and taking deep breathes, grouping with the rest of the people waiting behind the yellow line when all of a sudden, from a tiny plasma screen on one of the concrete pillars, the AD plays with a low-quality version of the original music.  _ “Jesus Christ! Is like is chasing me around!”  _ Takumi shouts frustrated, digging his nails on his arms, but also surprised by a feminine voice repeating the same words as him in unison, turning to his right, there was a little woman on a long sleeve white shirt and a blue jean skirt, with a familiar mellow color on her eyes, he stuttered for a second, the girl did the same, “…Pekora?” He asks with the smallest voice he could find, the woman nodding to him with a grin, Takumi discreetly looks up to her head, in honest confusion of how her ears are hiding under the hat.

Making signals with their hands as if both were mute, they point to a stool in a corner of the stop where no one was and sit beside the other, “So…? How is it going peko?” The bunny-girl fidgets, nervously fixing her hat, “This is so weird, I don’t really know what to say peko, we only saw each other a couple of peko times and well… you were kinda busy,” She narrates her memories with a naughty smile, stuttering and shaking from the nerves.

“It’s ok really, no need to force it,” He replies stretching his hands together, “I’m doing fine… I just got a new job as a music teacher, actually,” Leaning against the concrete wall he explains to Pekora with a gesture of hand; then frowning when looking at the small screen in the distance repeating the Aqua and Mea AD, “Although that commercial feels like a kick on the guts.”

Pekora turns her face to where he was looking, sharing a disgusted sigh with him, “Yeah, I know what you mean peko,” Swinging her feet on the air, her expression grows sad, looking at her shoes come and go, “I never worried for things like that before peko, but, now that is in front of me, makes me peko wonder what am I doing, and when am I going to do things like those,” She finishes with an annoyed grunt, Takumi noticing on the way she grips the edge of the stool.

“Well…” He takes a pause, looking at her and back to the screen, noticing on the words he was going to say, remembering all the things Choco has been telling him the entire month, “… I wish that were me… Heh, this must be the first time I admit it,” Resting the back of his head against the wall with a groan he looks the other way.

“…Do you hate Aqua now peko?” She now questions with a serious tone, none of them looking at the other.

“No I don’t, but I guess… I should’ve told her how much it hurt me,” Takumi describes with sadness, being surprised by Pekora’s fingertips shyly caressing his right hand close to her, he spies the slow approach with the corner of his eyes, “Do you want to get married?”

“No I don’t,” Pekora chuckled, repeating his words in the same tone, “Or, maybe I do peko, I’m not peko sure, I just wish I could have the option, but I really don’t peko,” Her fingers continue tracing the lines of his skin, unable to proceed further, but Takumi makes her jump on a single and loud, acute shriek, holding her fingers with his, “H-how w-weird, I didn’t think you could be the type of guy who talks about how they feel peko.” With flustered cheeks, she wraps his fingers back.

“That’s supposed to be part of my personality now,” Takumi says with a bit of red on his face, replying to the finger wrap, rubbing the rest of her fingers with his thumb.

“I see… It’s a shame you aren’t working anymore…” Pekora insinuates with the lowest voice she can find, turning completely red, “I could use some of  _ that _ today peko… something that makes me think I’m not as far behind as them…” Changing expressions, noticing her own bitterness she released Takumi and attempted to stand up, but he held her by the wrist.

“… Right now, I’m going back home if… If you don’t have anything else to do-“

“Yes!”

“Wow erhm… well then, crap, still five more minutes for the train.”

“Hahaha…”

“What do we do in the meanwhile?”

“To be honest, there’s something which has been bothering me for a while.”

“Yes?”

“… What’s your name again? I only heard it once when Aqua shouted it at the wedding.”

“Oh… Takumi, my name is Hirose Takumi.”

“Takumi you say? Well, your parents hit right the ‘ _ skillful’ _ part.”

Sitting on the bed, covering her naked body with a blanket and a pillow stuffed together, Pekora silently stares at the man undress in front of her, looking up and down at him, leaning to the right to take a peek of the front of his body, as he was giving her the back, he took his underwear and Pekora exploded in red, with a lustful giggle, looking at his ass and pinching the air with her free hand, imagining the sensation, quickly shoving her hand behind her back when he finally turns to her, her ears shivering from looking down on his waist, “Is everything ok? You look awfully stiff,” Takumi questions while approaching; he crawls inside the bed to sit beside her.

Pekora swallowed saliva, holding on her ears and shyly caressing the tips, “I’ve only done this a couple of times peko, I’m not sure… what if I’m boring peko?” She doubts, covering her face with her ears, she stutters for a brief moment, “W-w-would you teach me…! Something fun we can do?!” 

Takumi holding on his desire to laugh, takes her hand and slowly bring her out of the bed, “I can think of something fun we can do right now… and it doesn’t require much effort from your part, come here,” almost in the corner of the bed, he takes Pekora from the shoulders and turns her back to him, taking on her wrists and guiding her hands around his neck, “Now, hold on tight!” He tells her while quickly holding on her knees, getting out of the bed, lifting her up.

“Oh… Oh my God!” She twitches in surprise, looking with fear at the floor, trying to hold on his neck as hard as possible, noticing part of his member sticking out her legs, the length poking in between, “No way… l-like this peko?! Ah, your thing is hot, uhm… this, this will be ok right?”

Takumi pulls her legs and makes her knees rest on his forearms, kissing her cheek, “Well, why don’t you tell me that yourself…” He whispers gently biting on her ear lobe, using his hands to guide his member inside her, Pekora’s entire body twitching the further he goes inside her, “Tomorrow after we are done?”

“Ah… my head! My head tickles when you push it in, oh my God!” Pekora moans between a series of surprised gasps, firmly holding on his neck, she could only see his chin from that position, but Takumi noticed her stare and carefully walked in front of his mirror, where Pekora’s eyes instantly got fixed on the reflection of what was happening below their waists, “This is… so crazy! Is like I’m floating… ah! Ah!” Her voice coming out in short, broken moans as every time he pounds her, her body jumps a little, making her stutter, within the minutes, the girl begins to calm down, enjoying the feeling, from scared to quiet, mourning in pleasure from each little jump, from quiet to lustful, frowning and scratching his neck with her nails, hissing like an animal in heat, looking at him from the mirror with narrowed eyes, Takumi took the moment to pull her legs higher and pound her faster.

“Thank you, that sure took a bad feeling away,” Pekora laughed while dressing up, unbraiding her messy hair after an hour of having it rub against the chest of Takumi, helping herself with a comb, “…And, are you peko sure you don’t want me to pay you for this?”

The man, lying on his bed, gave her a happy nod, looking at her combing her hair with half of her shirt hanging on the left arm and her bra barely fixed in place, “The time I took money for it is over.”

Pekora throws her hair to her back a swing of her arms, fixing her underwear and shoving her left arm on the other hole of the shirt, “Then… if I’m not paying you, what we did now, how do we call it?” She stutters once again, her cheeks gleaming with red, “Do… does this means we are now… something peko? A couple?”

Takumi sits on the bed with a smile on his face and an idea on his head, “What about if we are friends from now on? And this could just be an accident of two friends getting off to the other,” He proposes, getting close to her, “Wait, let me help you,” Taking on her shirt, fixing a couple of buttons she put in the wrong order, “If you don’t mind befriending someone you slept with once, I would be happy to call you my friend.”

“You have such a sweet way to present some weird ideas peko!” Pekora says holding on her stomach with a peal of laughter, getting out of the bed, taking on her skirt, and quickly putting it back up, “But… Is not a peko crazy idea either peko, I wouldn’t mind a friend like you, I think we could get along well peko!”

“As long as you don’t forget my name again,” He replies smiling, giving her a soft kiss on the lips.

“I won’t, I promise, Takumi” Pekora answers back, kissing him back, “And friends don’t kiss each other like this, ok? Just for today…” She stopped on her laughing, holding on his face, kissing him deeply; leaning on the bed, “Just for today…” She whispers again, Takumi kissing her back in silence, “Has anyone ever told you that you reek in testosterone? You workout too much!”

“You add a pinch of black pepper over it and… done!” Choco guides the man in the kitchen as he gives the final touches to a couple of plates of carbonara, “Look at you, you’re getting better at western cuisine!”

Takumi puts the wood grinder on the table, kissing her cheek and taking the plates to the coffee table in the living room, “Thanks to you, bring in the wine would you?”

“No way in hell, if I have to drink another of your harvests from 70 years ago I’m going to need a new liver,” She complains opening the mini-fridge, taking a bottle of sake, “So many years drinking champagne and whisky on those cabarets must have given you resistance, but I don’t have it,” She moves to a stall near the stove and picks two glasses, bringing them with her, sitting in another side of the table facing him and preparing the bottle.

“So, what’s the occasion? You look happier than usual today” He says clapping his hands and taking the first bite of the food, clumsy movements using the fork.

“Today is…” Choco whispers, filling the glasses with the transparent and effervescent beverage, “The last day I’m visiting you, my debt is officially paid.”

Biting the fork from hearing her and groaning from the pain, Takumi slowly removes the cutlery from his mouth, “Is that all this was for you…? Never friends, never lovers, it really was just  _ ‘a sex buddy making up for the damage they made’ _ like that?” 

“Do you want the truth?” Choco defies him with a serious tone, placing a handkerchief on her lap and handing him a glass of liquor, “The day of the wedding when you ran away, I thought you were going to do something stupid and hurt yourself, and I couldn’t leave you alone like that.”

Takumi takes the glass in silence, drinks, and cleans his lips with a thumb, “And… I’m never going to know about you again?”

Choco doesn’t reply, she just claps her hands, takes a bite of the carbonara, drinks a long sip of sake, and looks back to him, “It’s a bit salty, but you got it right,” She says pointing at the plate, using the handkerchief to clean her mouth, “Maybe when on our free days we can meet again, right now, I’m just happy of the person you’re now, you should be happy about it too.”

“But I thought…” Takumi fidgets for a second, frustrated, “I thought you liked me.”

“Oh I don’t like you,” Choco replies right after, with a gesture of her fork and a serious look, just to break on a small smile, gently dropping the fork on the plate, “I love you… I realized that moments after the wedding, the reason I was so angry that you didn’t react properly at everything that was happening was that I had a crush on you, and, after all this time, I’m sure I love you.”

“But?” He shrugs with an angry look, gesturing her to continue.

“But I’m not the right one for you,” She replies taking her glass and clinking it with his, “And you aren’t the right one for me, I realized that too after this month, I haven’t been able to open myself to you all this time, and you are the kind of idiot who would shield a bullet for me, and that isn’t fair.”

“Of course I would,” Takumi replies to her imaginary situation firmly, the two of them continue eating despite the argument both are holding, “Because I also think I love you,” He took his glass and gave the clank back, drinking slowly,

Blushing with the tone of his words, Choco sighed and held on his free hand, playing with his fingers, “Oh Takumi, you can be so cute sometimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to personal stuff I spent literally solitary confinement for a month, I'm back now and will continue updating later.


	5. Main Heroine (Matsuri's Happy Ending)

In Japan, there are a handful of stores and establishments in which you can’t access from the main door. For all meanings, if you were to actually try crossing through such entrance, you could, they’re not locked in any way, still, it is more of a thing you shouldn’t do, and this happens due to two reasons: The first one being people who know how to walk around these places of a city or town, will always follow popular customs, just like going inside a famous restaurant through the entrance by the other side of the street, where you have to enter first in a library, it is a hurdle, and it sounds unnecessary, but it is the custom, and not doing it this way shows a great lack of modals or simply just great ignorance. The second reason turns to be, way less complicated, due to fire regulations, you must take the hurdle to respect the indications of the establishment and use the second entrance, then retire by using the main door.

But going inside a place by using the emergency entrance, when the construction of the building has been done on a way you can access normally from the main door, is odd, so is the man walking past the crystal glass doors, diving on a narrow alley made by the walls of the other constructions and using the emergency stairs up to a third floor. Takumi smacked the thick metallic door with the back of his hand and after a couple of seconds the sounds of steps near followed, the weight of a person leaning on the doors producing a slight shake, “Password please,” A feminine voice requested from the other side, with an accent and pressing on the words with her tongue.

_ “Pe… Peanut…” _ The man struggles to give the needed words, pronouncing them in a language different from the one he knows; with a bit of self-awareness he frowns because of how ridiculous the request is, but Takumi clears his throat and tries again, “ _ Peanut butter motherfucker _ .”

Laughter sparks from the other side at the very second, followed by the sounds of keys being spun and heavy locks being released, Coco opens the left door with both hands and a sneer, “I bet Kanata 500 Yen you wouldn’t be able to say it, thanks for making me lose, your accent is so bad, hey, this door is heavy, would you?” Takumi nods and holds onto it with his arm and allows her to release the handle and take a couple of steps back as he enters the place, once inside, Coco carefully closes the door, with everything and lock, then looking at him, she handed Takumi a single key with a miniature and cartoony version of her attached to a strap, “I’m not your personal vigilant and my phone number is not an intercom, are we clear? I’m giving you this as long as you don’t tell anyone; hope you don’t make ill use of it.”

The man took the key from the strap and flipped it inside his palm with a hand movement, “This is a lot, you could get in trouble if they find out… thank you, I won’t abuse of this favor.” He said joined with a sigh when he saved the key inside a pocket of his pants.

Walking together inside the building through an empty and silent hall, they turn right and move to a second hallway with crystal windows on the right covered in blinds, inhibiting most of the morning light. Coco, with both arms over her head, stares at Takumi, her eyebrows and lips turning into a judgmental expression, she pokes his back with the tip of her tail. “Say… Is not my business but, who sold you the idea that coming all the way here to see her was a good decision?” She drops both arms with a sigh, shaking her head even before he could answer, “And there I went and asked, this is why curiosity killed the cat, don’t mind me, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”

“No, there’s no problem, no one suggested me to come here and talk to her, I was the one who came with the idea,” He explains extending both hands.

“No wonders is such a bad idea oi oi oi,” Coco sighs again, each time with more disappointment showing on her face and tone, walking with a hunched back, “You’re going to end hurt again, not that is my place to point out that, worst case, you’ll end both hurt.”

“Oh I know is a bad idea all right,” Takumi confesses with a tiny smile, “But if I had said things up front last time, this wouldn’t be necessary, and now, despise is a bad idea, I still have to.”

“You aren’t a kamikaze plane you know that right oi?” At her third sigh of disappointment, her tongue rolls inside her mouth so hard a little spark of flames comes out, Takumi making a quick dancing move to avoid the spark from falling on his clothes, “Sorry there.”

“Being face to face with you is thrilling enough alone…” He suggests checking the fabric of his shirt hadn’t burned, “Out of everyone you have the most striking features, maybe because we are the same height? Do you too come from that place called  _ Virtual World _ ?” Takumi dropped the question without a single bit of delicacy; Coco instantly bit on her tongue and gave him a silent perplexed look.

“Who did it? Who spilled the beans? That’s more dangerous than giving you backdoor keys to the studio holy hell,” Coco explodes in nerves, holding him from both shoulders, “Forget who told you that, remove those two words from your memory, is not like is live or dead knowledge, but you can’t spout that just because, are we clear?”

He tried to reply with a chuckle, realizing he had stepped on a delicate subject, he was about to apologize, but as they had reached the other extreme of the hallway, a white feminine figure bumped with them. Coco and Takumi stood dead frozen, unable to say a word as Fubuki’s stare grew serious, looking them up and down, she crossed her arms and took a deep breath, humming in a sweet voice at first, using a deep and menacing next when staring at the dragon-girl, “Coco,” The fox said with a commanding tone.

“Yes ma’am!” She replied exactly like a low-rank soldier, standing with her back all stretched and her right hand at the height of her head temple below her horn.

“Go away,” Fubuki commanded next with a twist of her head like a high school yankee.

“Yes ma’am! I’ll resume my work!” Coco nods firmly, hurrying to walk away with a nutcracker toy motion.

The girl with white fur now turns her gaze to the man, biting on her lip, almost snarling, she realizes this and breaks on her anger with a cough, taking a second breath, “I suppose is useless to tell you to go away too right?” She tilts her head and frowns, still with crossed arms and standing in the middle of his way, but once Takumi processes her question, he stops fidgeting and takes a firm step in front of her, “Are all men like this I wonder…” She whispers back to her usual sweet tone, staring down at the floor.

“I’m not leaving until I talk to her,” Takumi decided to antagonize her.

“Yes I thought that so far, you’re lucky to be huge and scary, or I would have kicked your ass out here,” She said shaking her head, the fox didn’t have near the intention to let him walk further inside the office, but when two staff members appeared walking behind them at the back of the hallway, Fubuki gestured silence with a finger and next pointed him to follow her. They took a couple of turns and went another floor up, walked left, and made him enter into a room which insides reminded him of Coco’s personal room, yet this one was double of the space, giving the impression more than a person used it to take breaks and change clothes. Fubuki closed the door behind her back and leaned on it, proceed to repeat on her mechanical steps to talk to the man, turning serious, crossing her arms and breathing deeply, “Here’s the thing, I won’t let you meet her, if you go away on this instant, I can give you one million yen, I’ve been told you are having trouble trying to accommodate to your new life as a decent person, am I wrong? If you retire from where you came, I’ll make a transfer of the money before the day ends; you need it to pay the bills and rent, don’t you?”

“Are you done on trying to bribe me?” Takumi asks with anger, the man didn’t even pause to consider on her offer, impressing the fox-girl who undoubtedly stuttered her speech.

“Who told you coming here was a good idea even?” Fubuki recovers from his comeback and remains firm, “Because is not.”

“I know is not, but it has to be done,” He meets with her at the entrance of the door, where Fubuki reacts by moving to the left, using her back to block the knob, “… Is there something I can do to convince you of letting me meet her?”

“When a woman says  _ no _ she means  _ no _ !” She shouts almost singing, closing her eyes, faking composure from the intimidating height of the man.

“I’ll do anything,” He said all of a sudden while bowing to her, a perfect bow, like the corner of a square.

“Why don’t you get it, is too late! You’re just going to hurt her feelings even more!” Fubuki screeches finally giving up on her anger, using her nails to furiously scratch the head of Takumi, deeply scrapping his scalp in an attempt to hurt him, “I can’t simply tell you ‘go ahead and break her heart a second time’ when she means so much to me!”

“I’ll do anything,” He repeated, holding to his posture regardless of the scratching.

“… Dammit!” Fubuki snarls agitated, pulling away and looking to calm down, her hands still trembling in anger, “… One thousand…” 

“Pardon?” 

“… If you do one thousand push-ups, I tell her to come here…”

“One thousand you say; you have to be kidding…”

“What? Are you going to chicken out now? I’m even offering to help you meet her instead to roam the studio looking to get the staff call the police on you.”

“…”

“It’s my last offer, or maybe are you trying to tell me those muscles are just for show? … How much do you want to clear things up with her?”

“A thousand push-up-times if it’s necessary.”

“Huh, to think you’d answer with a joke, let’s see if you’re still laughing after the first five hundred.”

Thirty minutes later, a girl with a side ponytail entered the room, her eyes widening in angered surprise, to be later overcome by the confusion of the situation. In the middle of the room lies Takumi, he had removed his shirt and was silently counting up each push, Fubuki sitting over his back, fiddling on her phone with an apathetic face, “Just… what in the world are you two doing?” The emotions of the girl are all scrambled, anger from looking at him, sadness from having to face him again, and a sprinkle of laughing desire at the sight of what looked like a punishment, both Fubuki and Takumi turned to look at her, but the moment he stopped moving, Fubuki tapped his back with her tail and sighing in exhaustion, he renewed his trial.

“You finished on your stream earlier than to what I thought, I should have messaged you later then,” Fubuki tells her with an expressionless face, then ruffles Takumi’s head, “Here you see a bad boy being punished for being a douche, nothing more, nothing less,” With a fake smile she explains.

“How… long has he been doing that?” Matsuri asks slowly approaching the two.

“Uh… I’m not sure, I was just keeping count, where are we?” She questions gazing down at the man.

“456…” He whispers short of breath, sweat drops falling from his face.

“Only that, you didn’t even make it to five hundred!” Fubuki slaps the back of his head angrily.

“Fubuki… I think he’s crying…” Matsuri whispers with a hand over her mouth, horrified.

“No way, how can anyone… oh,” The fox-girl bends and carefully examines his face, there are tears mixed in the sweat running on his face, “Oh God what have I done…”

“I just wanted to see her…” He whispers with a croaky voice.

_ “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I’ll go look for some water ok, you can stop! Geez, I guess you aren’t a bad boy, bad boys don’t cry,”  _ Fubuki hurries to whisper on his ear, getting off his back and switching gears back to her apathetic tone, “Well… I’ll be back in a moment, you can always not talk to him you know?” She suggests stroking Matsuri’s shoulder and abandoning the room.

Takumi fell on the floor from exhaustion, his body covered in sweat, his arms trembling; he rolls belly up and pants loudly, staring at Matsuri, “Yo!” He shouts and coughed with a swing of his arm.

Matsuri smiles wide and flusters, holding her laughter; she shook her head and decided to walk right in front of him, kneeling and crossing her arms, frowning with a bit of condescension, “Who told you coming all the way here was a good idea?”

“You’re… hah… the third person to ask me that today… and it finally is starting to hit on me, but hell, we are face to face at last,” He explains as serious as possible, picking up his shirt and using it to wipe the sweat off his face, “I came here because I have something to talk with you.”

“You’re literally half a year too late to say you love me…” Matsuri said in a heartbroken tone, looking aside and biting on her lip, “You can’t fix what you’ve done.”

“No, I didn’t come here to say  _ I love you, _ ” He sits on the floor and faces the girl with a serious look, “I don’t have the right to, instead, I’ve come here to tell you what I should’ve told you months ago.”

The young girl stuttered for a second, still avoiding eye contact, she bits harder on her lip, as if she would hurt herself, “Ah I see, then, you mean you’ve come here to hurt me even more?”

He used the question to open a silent pause, worn his shirt back, and at the uncanny moment of Fubuki opening the door of the room with a bottle of water and a towel, he dropped it, “I won’t say  _ I’m sorry  _ either, I lost the chance to use those words too, the truth is that I didn’t love you enough to reciprocate your feelings, despite that you help me realize what I was missing in my life and that you gave yourself to me knowing that it was more than sex, you wanted me to choose you and I didn’t, because I decided to take you for granted…” They both pause as Fubuki startles them by closing the door and leaning on the wall looking at Takumi with murdering intentions, “You never got the chance to hear my rejection of your feelings directly from me, and Choco made me realize it was because I was being a coward, I thought you and I both deserved to have this conversation, for our minds to be at peace.”

Without any word for reply, Matsuri dropped her kneeling stance and sat on the floor, crying loud and clear, like a baby forced to wake up. Fubuki walked to the two and put the bottle and towel near Takumi, her eyes still bloodshot in fury, yet containing any desire to speak for the moment, she then turned right and sat on the edge of a bed without blankets, waiting for Matsuri to stop bawling. Takumi too was unable to continue, he opened the bottle and took a sip, used the towel to dry his neck and arms, after four long minutes, Matsuri stopped screaming, her body trembling along with her jaw, and in the very last moment, she caught the fox-girl and the man out of the guard, as she stood on the tip of her toes and shout with all her might, “ARGH! FINALLY, THAT ACTUALLY WAS GOOD TO HEAR!” The other two shared gazes of absolute confusion, Matsuri’s tears had stopped entirely; she stretched her arms and sighed in relief, “It actually was eating my head, you know? Theorizing why the hell you had chosen Aqua over me, not even after you got dumped by her I felt better, but this took a weight off my shoulders.” She gave him an honest smile, “I’m glad you decided to stop being a coward!”

“I still can sense a little anger on the way you phrased that though…” He chuckled awkwardly, standing up with her sketching a small smile, “I couldn’t continue my life without solving this first.”

“Huh, continue with your life you say…” Matsuri whispers reluctantly, interlacing her fingers with a new expression of anger, Fubuki sighing in relief to the gestures of her friend, taking out her phone and tapping on it, no longer interested in the conversation, “Does this means now you’re going to disappear?”

“Well…” Takumi raised a finger with a snicker, “I’m no longer working doing  _ that _ and there won’t be any other reason for us to meet again, am I wrong? It doesn’t matter if we aren’t even friends, I just didn’t want to be an awful memory for you.”

“That-is-so-half-baked!” Matsuri laughed smacking his chest with her right hand, “Are you saying this is as far as you can go? You don’t mind not being friends?” Her laughter decreased slowly and looked up to him bittersweet, “Has what Aqua told you that time on the wedding not sank on your mind yet? Learn to be selfish no matter what others think!” She then extended her arms and closed her eyes with a peaceful smile, “I’m right here, shoot!”

He looked at Fubuki, but the fox didn’t look back, Takumi gulped down, meditating on her request at max mental speed, gripping the towel in his hand, he flustered; then shouts, “Matsuri! Will, you be my girl-“

“ _ Not that level of selfish!” _ She interrupted him immediately, opening an eye and releasing a little giggle which made her posture crumble, she coughed and stood firm once again, “Try again!”

“Then…” He inhales uncomfortable, “Matsuri, will you be my friend from now and on?”

The girl made a loud “Hmmm” noise, walking left and right thinking on his proposition, then leaped back to Takumi and caressed his face with her left hand, “I’m glad you ask that, and for that request…” She pauses with a huge smile, “I will have to say no!” she finished cheerfully.

Fubuki sneers from the bed as Takumi tilts his head in confusion, “Wait, what? But, you said…”

“And I also said ‘ _ Learn to be selfish no matter what others think’  _ didn’t I?” She quotes while gently slapping his face, “So why did you stop in the middle of asking me to be your girlfriend when I interrupted you?” She questions defiant, but Takumi just grows more and more confused, “I know what you’re thinking, that is a decision of two, right? But what stops you from changing my mind? Bingo! Is that you’re still trying to be considerate of my feelings.”

“Men are always so slow on the uptake…” Fubuki whispers with leftovers of her malicious giggle, “And is this really the guy you and Subaru have a crush on?”

“Uh, what’s with Subaru?” Takumi questions definitely lost on the current situation, holding onto Matsuri’s left wrist as she slaps harder on his face.

“Any-way!” Matsuri yells and looks back at Fubuki with fixed lips as if trying to tell her she shouldn’t touch the subject, “What I’m trying to say is… You can fight for me, and if you really want me, you should fight me, whether if you really want to be friends, or you want me to love you, don’t do it half-baked.”

“Matsuriri!” A new voice interrupted, slamming the door open, a tiny girl of pink hair with an elegant full dress barged inside the room, pale and out of breath, she crawled to meet with the other three, “I’m… here…”

“Ok…? But who called you here, Luna my dear?” The girl wonders with hissing laughter from looking at her friend on the verge of death and slowly petting her head.

“I… Matsuriri was crying weren’t you nanora? I heard from the floor below, so… I came to your rescue, crap, I’m going to die…” The tiny one claims with a raspy voice, way more exhausted than when the man was being punished, she looked up to Takumi with narrowed eyes, “How’s the weather up there dude? Give me that…” She stretched her hand asking for the water bottle which the man hands with a condescending look; Luna gulps half the bottle, “Anyway… I ran here as fast as possible nanora!”

“’ _ As fast as possible _ ’ you say, but,” Matsuri turns her face to Fubuki, both of them checking the hours of their phones, laughing and looking back to Luna, “That was like ten minutes ago, did you get lost?”

“This is how fast I can run at  _ max speed _ nanora, forgive me,” Luna continues, taking another sip of water, and as she calms down, she realized of the third figure in the room, “Wait, who the heck are you nanora?!”

“You see Luna, do you remember the guy I talked to you about the other time? Takumi, Luna, Luna, Takumi,” The girl explained swinging her hand between the two as she presented the other, each one making a slight silent reverence, then Luna grips on the bottle and makes a little surprising jump.

“Ah! You’re that Takumi nanora? Did you come here to make up with Matsuriri? Are you a couple again nanora?” She takes a step closer to the man with each question, with a new burst of energy, having caught her second breath and with a better semblance, “How tall are you? I can’t tell because I’m pocket-size nanora! Are you her boyfriend now? When’s the wedding nanora? Can Fubuki and I be the bridesmaid?!”

“You’re jumping on the gun too early Luna!” Matsuri yells both annoyed and embarrassed, giving the little one a slap on the back of her head, “We are just making things up for now!”

“So… She knows  _ everything _ ?” Takumi asks to Matsuri while pointing at Luna with a finger.

“She just knows what she needs to know,” Fubuki answered instead, finally getting off the bed and reuniting with them, playfully walking behind Luna and whispering in her ear,  _ “You just had an indirect kiss with him!”  _

“NANORA?!” Luna shouts in disbelief, glowing red when looking at Takumi, then the bottle of water, closing the lid, and squeezing the plastic with a muffled screech, “Erhm… So, what were we talking about nanora?”

“Right, right, this room is used by many of us you know? It won’t take long before a staff member comes, can you make a decision now?” Matsuri spins her body back to Takumi, now addressing him with a serious tone, “Or maybe you need some three months to think about it?”

“Wow, talk about being kicked once down on the floor,” Takumi said sarcastically, but when looking at Matsuri’s serious face, and Fubuki’s judgmental expression, he too looked to take the situation properly, coughing on his hand, he spoke, “Let’s go out this weekend, I’ll let you know my decision then, what do you say?”

“Hah? A date you say is that all could think of-?” Fubuki readies a quick smear, but Matsuri stops her with a pat on the shoulder.

“A date? Where nanora?! Where are you taking us? It's autumn, should we go using warm clothes nanora? Where can we go in the middle of autumn?” The pink one meddles cheerfully, looking at each girl hyped on the proposition.

“Wait…  _ us _ ?” 

From Haneda airport in Tokyo to Oita airport of the same prefecture, there are almost one thousand kilometers, as they stand in opposite extremes of the country. It’s a total of 13-16 hours trip by bus or train if you go by land, and between one to one hour and a half by plane, being the latter a better decision, even if awfully expensive, anyone would buy the plane tickets, “ _ I just didn’t have in mind I would end buying another two plane tickets,”  _ Takumi thinks with a bit of remorse, out of his plans, the addition of another two people forced him to buy seats from a commercial line instead of a smaller plane as he had expected, “Yes, yes, I know, you sure like this game even though you haven’t won once,” He speaks out his mind with a little of annoyance, he was playing UNO with Luna on the seat next to him, Fubuki and Matsuri, were sitting on the right extreme and two seats behind the other two, Matsuri had been staring at them from the distance, with a doubtful look of how Luna leans and strokes the arm of the man whenever talking to him, needlessly to say, the three girls dropped on her signature clothes, wearing sets of long skirts and sweaters to match the requirements of the trip.

“Is it me or is Luna getting a too busy buddy with him?” Matsuri asks in a low tone while biting on her thumb, Fubuki behind her making her hair into twin-tails to kill time.

“That what you see is top acting skills, since you didn’t want to sit with him on the way here I told her to pick up Intel for us, like where is he planning to take us and what his decision about you is,” Fubuki calmly explains, “Do you want long twin tails or buns like the ones Rushia has?”

“Eh…? Luna can be really sharp when you don’t expect it… Oh, can you make it into twin drills?” Matsuri turned and leaned back on her seat, asking without a hint of pretension.

“Silly, I need a hair curler for that,” Fubuki said gently giving the last touches to her hair, caressing Matsuri’s face with both hands next, making her explode in red as her thumbs touch her lips, “Say, what are we doing here? What are we exactly playing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m giving him a chance to fight for me!” She proudly postures.

“What if he’s planning to make you his friend, can you take the blow of being rejected a second time?” Fubuki insists after releasing her face, Matsuri doesn’t reply, each one just leans on their seats and rest their head against the other.

“I’m hoping for the best… and if he doesn’t want me, I won’t say no to be his friend, it would be crappy of me.”

“In resume, you want him to use you as a test of his own selfishness?” 

“I guess so…”

“What if he actually knows of Subaru’s feelings and he brought you all the way just to dump you?”

“… Then we may as well leave a huge bill in the room of wherever we are going to stay.”

“Oh, that’s not a bad idea.”

Another forty minutes later the plane lands, with little luggage to wait for as most of them brought just a little bag with a change of clothes, the groups drops out of the airport as soon as they check their papers.

“Alright, squeeze each other a bit more, and… I’ll put the timer!” Takumi signaled the girls as he was trying to get a picture with a medium-size digital camera and with a focus lens, he put the camera over a piece of a concrete wall and ran behind them, kneeling and smiling with the group to appear in the photo.

“Looks like you took a liking to take photos, but you shouldn’t just let your camera where it can be stolen,” Matsuri scolds the man with concern after hearing the shutter noise.

“Be real, who would want to steal a camera from this man?” Fubuki asks sarcastically.

“Oh right, good point,” She giggled innocently, but when Takumi stood and went to pick his camera back, both Fubuki and her cornered Luna, “So? What did you get out of him, where is he going to take us? Beppu? Is it Beppu right?”

“Well nanora, he…” Luna shakes for a moment, with the index finger pressing on her lips as she meditates with a serious face, the girl blushes, “I have no idea where are we going nanora! But I can say he’s a good big bro!”

_ “Am sorry what did you say?” _ The other two questioned in unison.

“Takuni! Matsuriri and Fubuki want to know where are you taking us nanora?” She ignored them completely, diving between and jumping on the arms of the man, who gracefully wears the camera from the neck and caught the tiny girl from the armpits, lifting her up, “Not so high hehehe, I’m going lost oxygen at this height Takuni!” She giggled like a little child.

“Looks like we lost an important soldier today press  _ F _ ” Fubuki sighed disappointedly.

“Curses that man, he’s a natural at getting on everyone’s weak points,” Matsuri sighs along.

“Very well, we are now going to the bus station, it’s about time to tell you, girls, where we’re headed to,” Takumi walks to the other two with Luna sitting over his left shoulder; the girl was amazed by the sight around.

“We’re going to Beppu, don’t we? I hope you didn’t go skimpy with the Ryokan reservations,” Fubuki said crossing her arms.

“No, we are going to Takeda,” He answered raising his free hand; the three girls gave him a doubtful look.

“Takeda? But I wanted to see the otters of the aquarium! Takuni, let’s go see the otters nanora!” Luna pouted and pulled on his hair.

“C’mon, I’ve been dying to try the volcanic sands since you told us we were coming to Oita!” Fubuki cried, for the first time talking to him she was starting on a tantrum.

“I thought we would get the chance to watch the sex museum!” Matsuri complained lastly, just that her request didn’t manage to convince the other three in the sightless.

“We are not going to Beppu at this point of tourism season, don’t worry, we’ll have fun in Takeda too,” Takumi expresses with a huge smile which manages to make the girls drop on their tantrum.

_ “Hey, isn’t he a bit too excited? I think he’s hiding something else,” _ Fubuki whispers to Matsuri with discretion.

Adding five minutes from the airport to the bus station, they pick up their transport to the Nagayu Hot Springs for another thirty minutes, where the girls and Takumi register and drop their belongings on their respective rooms. The moment the man explains to them they’re now headed to Aso, it was almost ten ‘o clock, and the girls can’t stand the trip anymore, starting on a real tantrum this time, Takumi takes them three to a pub where he invites them for lunch, the owner of the pub giving them an extra plate of deep-fried vegetables, stroking the man’s back and sharing some words with him, as the owner goes, the man realizes the weird looks he’s receiving from the girls, “Guess there’s no point in hiding it, I lived here when I was little, the owner is a friend of my parents,” He confesses scratching the back of his head.

With an early lunch being devoured, it was eleven in the morning, with full stomachs and better humor, this time the girls didn’t complain when going to Aso was suggested. It takes them one more hour from Naguya to Kujyu and from Kujyu to Aso, plus thirty minutes inside a Jeep driving up the mountain. “So, your parents are here too? Are we going to meet?” Matsuri asks with curiosity.

“You mean here in Aso? No, they’re in Takeda, and I didn’t tell them I was coming, I’ll visit them another time around, this weekend is for us,” Takumi explains cheerfully, his giddy attitude being infectious for the girls.

“This is so weird; I’ve never seen you this excited before, where is the driver taking us? Should I Google it?” Matsuri suggests bringing on her phone.

“Nope, no cheating, if you still don’t know what waits for us then let it be a surprise,” He leans and covers her phone with a hand and a click of his tongue.

“There’s no reception anyway nanora…” Luna sighs swinging her phone in the air, “Takuni, where are we going, don’t you know the Internet is important for a girl?”

“Oh you’re gonna love it, once you get there you will forget about the Internet entirely,” He continues throwing up empty hints, “We are finally here! On the left side, look!”

The girl gave a long sigh of surprise and quickly leaned on the left side of the Jeep, holding on the edges, the more the vehicle drove up in the dirt road, the more the scenery changed from thick forest to a huge garden of flowers extending from wherever the eye could see, the words,  _ “Kuju Hana Koen” _ written on a wood board announcement as they pass the entrance and the vehicle carefully slow down. Lavenders, sunflowers, dahlias, cosmos, salvias and marigolds, a perfumed sea of primary colors which expanded by long stretches of kilometers through the fields, everyone, including Takumi, almost jump out of the car once the driver stops and park, with little to no education, they leave the money to pay him on a seat as they race up to the actual entrance. “This is my favorite part of the year, right in the middle of summer and fall just in time to see these many flowers; you’ll never get to see these many different seasonal flowers together on a different month!” Takumi explains hyped to the girls, who look back at him with a little giggle, each one paying their entrance, taking a second group picture with the flower fields behind, minutes later, Fubuki discreetly takes Luna’s hand and separate from the other two, walking to see the sunflowers while Matsuri and he turned to the other side to watch the lavenders, “You’ve been quiet for a while now… is not of your liking?” He begins to doubt her silence.

“No, is not that, I’m just meditating this, ah, everything smells so good,” She said with a peaceful expression, walking calmly with a swing of her body, “I’m definitely happy you brought us here, it looks like any girl’s childhood fantasy, everywhere I turn is filled with pretty flowers, I’m kinda speechless,” She skips and begins to walk in front of him, extending her arms and walking over an imaginary line, “But why is a man as excited as us to be on a place like this? I can only think is because another woman showed you this place, and it kind of kills my mood, you know?”

“Well, that  _ woman _ was my mom, actually,” Takumi replies with a slight of anger because of the way she phrased it, Matsuri instantly zipping her lips on embarrassment, “She used to take me here a couple of times a year, always around this month, and almost every year, now every time I come here I can’t help but be happy.”

“That’s so adorable, and for some reason, it makes me  _ so  _ annoyed,” Matsuri groaned loudly, with hands-on her face trying to hide the ticklish smile on her face, she then extended her hands on the air and inhaled, spinning to him and walking backward, “You sure know how to play with a girl’s heart,” She gazes left and right, listening to the tranquil noises of birds and the fluttering wind shaking the sweet smell of the lavender, Takumi uses the chance to take a picture of her, “This is so relaxing… is like the slowest my heartbeat has ever been… it’s just the right moment to hear your rejection, what about it?”

“Is actually the right moment to do this,” He accelerates towards her and lifts her up by the waist, without leaving space for her to react, Takumi gave her a deep kiss, and then everything proceeded at a natural pace. Matsuri’s legs happily swinging in the air, her arms surrounding his shoulders and back, closing her eyes and sighing with a moan as she kissed him back, “I love you, and I want you to love me,” He told her after separating for a brief second, just to kiss a second time, longer, silently, enjoying the warmth of the other, enjoying the lavender fragrance, Matsuri broke on the kiss and wrapped him, burying her face on his neck, “That’s kinda chocking me, you know?” Takumi said with a bit of sarcasm, but the mood sank in a wink as he heard the girl snort and tremble, “I… did I… just, what is it now?”

Matsuri shook her head and held on to him tighter, “I don’t know… is just… I’m not sure… something is missing… I finally got an  _ ‘I love you’  _ from your lips, those lips I missed so much, so why… why?!” She almost screeched, her nails digging on his back, as she did her best to don’t scream while sobbing, Takumi held on to her firmly, helplessly out of comforting words, he gave sight to the flower fields and caressed the back of the delicate girl crying on his neck. He kept walking through the lavender fields up to the dahlias, close of the cosmos and the sunflower fields where the other two should be, stopping on a bench and gently sitting Matsuri over it, “And here I thought… I was doing an unnecessary effort by playing along with you… in the end, is  _ me  _ the one who is making everything into an effort, I’m sorry, we should be enjoying the flowers instead.”

“Just so you know, this definitely is an effort,” Takumi expresses with a playful tone, “But you know what else? I never thought of this effort as a hurdle, nor that it would be painful, I want you to love me, for that, I’m willing to do everything,” He turns to his face to her with a blushing smile, making Matsuri glow red, both ignoring the white figure walking to them from the field of cosmos.

“You want me to love you…” She whispers bittersweet, crossing her legs and looking up to the sky, “That sentence, that what you said is probably what made me cry.”

“But…God, I’m sorry to admit it but, I’m not following anymore, I thought that would make you happy?” He asks with a hand gesture, but before the girl can open her lips again, Fubuki takes on his wrist and pulls him away from Matsuri, diving into the field of dahlias, running away with him, “What are you doing…?! We were finally talking!” Takumi complains, the image of the other girl shrinking in the distance, and with a skillful movement of legs, Fubuki makes him trip and fall on the ground, quickly getting over him, crawling on his body to be face to face, “… Fubuki?” He wonders all agitated and flustered, the fox-girl has now leaned to put their foreheads together, deeply staring at him with an apathetic face, holding on his shoulders.

“From this far away, in this position, how would it look for her?” She questions in the air, Takumi frowns unable to understand what she’s saying, “Leaning this way over you, so close to your face, from the other side, she may be thinking I’m kissing you, and that you’re letting me do as I please.”

“What the heck…” He groaned in an attempt to get her off his body, but with a surprise swing of strength, Fubuki pressed on his shoulders making him unable to move his arms, suddenly the threat she made to him in the studio flashes on his mind, “You weren’t bluffing… you’re a little of a hunk yourself…”

“You should be thankful I’m doing this, I just heard that silly conversation you two were having, any more of that and you would have ended in fighting over nothing…” She explained with disappointment in her tone, kissing his forehead, “Has Okayu or Pekora ever told you that you reek in testosterone when you’re with them? Even the dahlias can’t hide it, but it smells so good together,” She said, almost singing.

“How do you know that I’m hanging with them?”

“We are all friends, sometimes we tend to share secrets we should keep private.”

“Never mind that… is this necessary? You could’ve just separated us with an excuse.”

“Yes, but Matsuri’s feelings are still mixed up, and if I make her jealous by pretending we’re kissing, maybe she can take the step she needs.”

“Are you… what if she ends hating you because of this?”

“Not happening, she will despise you first, while I’ll have a free pass.”

“You’re wagering a lot with this, please let me go.”

“Look at you, wanting to take all of this the hard way, what if you kiss me instead?”

“Fubuki…”

“I’m tired of watching her like this just because of one man, everyone is in their right to feel heartbroken now and then, but this is going too slow, and I want my usual Matsuri back.”

“I guess you love her more than I do then…”

“… That’s not necessarily true…” Fubuki pulled away from hearing his words, sighing and carefully standing up, “If anything, Luna loves her more than you and me, it kinda makes me jealous.”

“Heeeeey! What did happen? Why did you take him so far away?” Matsuri screams from the bench on the other side, the trembling on her voice indicating Fubuki’s scheme worked properly.

“That reminds me, where’s Luna?” Takumi question while sitting on the ground, he dusts off the flowers from his shirt and hair to later hold on to his knees to stand back up.

“Just a second, I want to check on something first,” She dropped with red cheeks when shamelessly lifting the shirt of the man up, with the other hand on her chin, she stared at his abdomen with detail as if she were examining a jewel, “Crap, maybe I should have tried you at least once that time when we were on the inn.”

“Fubuki, what’s up with you today?” Takumi asks all red, pulling away from her grasp and fixing his shirt, “Did Luna get lost or something? Is she ok?”

“Luna is running away from the park keepers,” She points to the field of cosmos in the distance from behind her back, far away on the right, but not in the place she was blindly pointing at, there was a little commotion, and a person was being chased by some guys in uniform, “She claimed  _ ‘I’M THE HIME-MORI THEREFORE THIS PLACE BELONGS TO ME’  _ and started plucking flowers and roll on the fields, she’s probably going to get banned from this place once she’s caught, hehehe, actually, that’s why I came here in the first place, to ask you for help” The fox-girl narrated with naught, the more she explains the more his face grows pale.

“HOW COULD YOU FORGET SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT, LUNA, THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” He screams in absolute horror, dashing out of the dahlias and past Matsuri, towards the cosmos fields.

“Hehehe, Takuni, this has been one of my favorite trips ever nanora! Thank you for bringing us here!” Luna said, after an hour of Takumi discussing with the park keepers, he got the girl out of trouble. She was a mess of colors, her pink hair and clothes were mixed in petals of many flowers, leaves, and dirt, and her hands were stuffed with a bouquet of self-picked flowers, which Takumi and the other two had to pay for it for her to conserve it.

“You say that, but because of you now we’re leaving an hour before planned,” Fubuki hisses to the tiny one, all of them squishing Luna from both sides as they take another picture with the park behind and the satisfied and dirty face of the girl.

Going down the skirts of the mountain with a different driver, Matsuri cleans Luna’s face with a couple of towels from her purse. Everyone sitting together on the next bus from Aso to Takeda, the moment they reach the station and drop out of the place, the man guides them through the town streets, once again without telling them where they’re headed, but even so this time the girls don’t mind that he keeps on the mystery, despite the more they walk inside the suburbs, it begins to get a little run down around the houses, “Luna, can you make me a little bouquet from your flowers?” Takumi requests the tiny one while tapping his phone.

“Ehhhh? B-but, my flowers!” She pouts loud and clear with an angry face.

“You plucked like half the forest and we had to pay for it, they belong to everyone, come on, don’t be selfish,” Fubuki middle with a scolding comment, winking to the man and make him sketch a little surprise on his face.

“What are you going to do with them? If you’re going to gift them to me, then Luna can keep them,” Matsuri explains without looking up at him.

“I changed my mind about visiting my parents, and I don’t want to go empty-handed when visiting mom,” Takumi explains, the girls slightly blushing one after the other.

“Takuni’s mom?! Give me a second; I’ll make you something pretty nanora!” Luna shouts switching gears, blabbering nonsense to herself as she meticulously separated the flowers, picking them one by one and wrapping the little bouquet with the ribbon of her hair, handing it to the man, “I have more on my purse at the hot springs so don’t worry nanora!”

“I’m sorry to ask dude, but, does this mean your parents live here?” Fubuki presents the question with disgust in her tone, as they pass by really small tatami houses with mold and scratched paint on their walls, “I guess living on a place this poor is part of the reason you were having sex for mo-… Wow, what am I saying, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it,” She cut her smear in half and quickly bowed to him, sparking red as Luna and Matsuri mock her for it.

“No… well… not exactly… they don’t live here, and I wasn’t that poor when little, ah, we just got here,” He nervously tries to explain as they move from the block of tiny houses and cross to an open space with an odd garden surrounded by a concrete fence.

“Here? But this place…” Matsuri stops frozen, in a block of wood stand the sign of “Town’s Cemetery” written in kanji, Fubuki and Luna sharing uncomfortable gazes as well, “Oh…”

“… I’m sorry this will be quick, I’ll be back in ten minutes ok?” He makes a reverence and without anything else, the man walks inside the place.

“Oh no, here it comes…” Fubuki groans and rubs her forehead.

“W-what comes?” Luna asks confused.

“FUUUU-BUUUUU-KIIIIII!” Matsuri screams and starts to cry, running to the arms of the fox-girl who was already in position, locking in a hug with mechanical precision, “HIS MOM… HIS MOM…”

“See what I mean?” The white one sighs caressing Matsuri’s head, “There, there, let it all out, but stop screaming, you’ll scare the neighbors,” She tells her with a motherly tone, when she gazes at Luna, the girl had turned her back to them, tightly holding on her flowers, “C’mon, you too? Did he do this on purpose…? No way, right?” Fubuki asks herself with doubt, “Come here you tiny crybaby, I have enough arms for the two of you!”

“Fu-Fubuki…” Luna stuttered followed with a loud snort, slowly walking together with them and shyly joining in the hug, “His mom…”

“Yes, yes, it definitely breaks my heart, but you didn’t even give me the chance to sob,” Fubuki sighs stressed, caressing the heads of the two.

The fox quickly comforts the two and makes them stop crying before Takumi comes back. An awkward silence in the group as they walk away from that part of town and turn to the boulevards, stuffed with tourists for the surprise of the man. They divide once again, this time Fubuki and Matsuri went to look on the stalls with jewelry around, while Takumi invited Luna to a soft-serve ice cream cone in a different path, the little girl, still hanging on an abundant amount of flowers, sat on a bench with him, giving licks to her ice cream then extending her arm up to the man, “Here Takuni, your turn nanora!”

“Luna, if I wanted to eat ice cream I would have bought one,” He tries to reject her, it was the third time she was sharing her cold dessert with him.

“C’mon, let’s eat it together hehe!” She exclaims happily, the man sighing and accepting to give another lick to it, in exchange, he takes the opportunity to take a picture of her while eating, “You know? You make Matsuriri cry a lot,” The tiny one reveals out of nowhere, the man who was checking on the pictures taken is forced to hold on to his breath with wide eyes, he turns the power of the camera off and turns to her, waiting for Luna to continue, she was still smiling, “At first I thought you were a bad man because she would often end crying when thinking of you, but is because she loves you, so I guess you aren’t the bad man I thought, right?” She wonders handing him the ice cream, this time he just gives a quick lick and gives it back, “Nanora… I kind of want you two to be together, she was so excited for this trip, I’ve never seen her this excited for a man, but you make Matsuri cry a lot, even when you’re trying to make her happy,” She pauses, extends her arm again, but this time she smacks the ice cream on his face, smearing Takumi on the cold cream, “I… don’t like to speak like this nanora, but… G-grow some balls, would you?! Before the day ends, tell her your decision!” She pouts angrily, then stands on the bench with her knees, and with both hands occupied with the flowers and ice cream, she licks a bit of the ice cream off his nose, “You’re making her cry a lot, but you can also stop it, just be a man, ok nanora?”

“Heeeey! I can see you there Luna, stop being lovey-dovey with my man!” Matsuri jokingly yells as she walks together with Fubuki in their direction, their hands stuffed with bags.

“M-Me?!” Luna screeches and goes red, sitting back on the bench and chewing down the ice cream with four bites from the nerves, followed by a brain freeze, “Urgh… nanora… is not what it looks like…”

“What’s in those bags?” Takumi tries to meddle, bringing a handkerchief from a pocket and cleaning his face.

“We bought Hanten for all of us to wear tonight on the bamboo lantern parade!” Matsuri exclaims with both arms in the sky.

“You gotta wear a Hanten in autumn after all,” Fubuki sang with an adorable head swing.

“I’m pretty sure you use that in winter!” The man shouts with a violent gesture, playing on the straight man.

Taking a bus back to Nagayu the girls bid goodbye to the man as their rooms are located in different places of the hot springs. Planning to group later for the bamboo parade festival, they only see Takumi a couple of hours later, as they bump when walking on the baths together, no one shares a word with the other, he goes into the men’s side and the girls on her own bathroom side. Taking off her clothes and changing, suddenly Luna wraps a towel at the height of her chest barely covering her thighs, looking left and right, “Not a soul here nanora!” She said confirming only them three were inside at the moment, next she peeks inside the thermal bath, “No one here either, great!” Her voice echoes on the emptiness and makes the other two giggle, then she dashes out of the bathroom and appears seconds later, trying to force Takumi’s arm inside the women’s bathroom, pulling with all her might, it was useless, “C’mon nanora! Why not!?”

“Luna oh my God stop that!” Matsuri and Fubuki scream hurrying to wear their towels, dashing to Luna and trying to make her release the man, “What are you thinking Takumi?!”

“She went into the men’s bathroom and said she needed something!” He huffs from the other side, carefully trying to pull away to don’t hurt the girls.

“I just want Takuni to wash my back and I want to wash his! What’s wrong about it nanora!?” Luna groans but quickly begins to lose energy, “C’mon, let’s all bath together! I know everyone has seen Takuni naked!”

“What!? I never told you that! Who did it?!” Matsuri asks on absolute embarrassment.

“Marine!” 

“That old hag!”

“Can I get my arm back now please?”

“Takumi… stop playing dumb with us and go back to your bathroom.”

Finishing on the little commotion before the staff of the hot springs appears, the three girls finish washing in the bathroom and get inside onsen. Silently looking at the other as the three lean on different sides inside of the rocky pool of boiling water, yet turning to the tall bamboo wall dividing the men’s side when hearing Takumi getting in, picturing the moment on their minds, blushing. “So? Why did you suddenly fell in the need to do that?” Matsuri quietly asks Fubuki.

“That? What happened nanora?”

“She kissed Takumi.”

“Fubuki?!”

“And, what if I did?”

“So you are not going to deny it?”

“What would you say if I tell you he let me kiss him?”

“oi…”

“…”

“Don’t be like that Matsuri, the only reason no one is enjoying this trip properly is that you can’t make up your mind.”

“What do you mean?”

“That man has clear problems trying to find himself, don’t you think you’re asking a lot for someone who not so long ago was just the sex doll fantasy?”

“T-the… s-sex… what’s that nanora?”

“Oh, you should have noticed Luna, when you met him for the first time in the studio, didn’t you think he was dreamy?”

“I… He’s Matsuriri’s… so I would never…”

“… Hah, hahaha, oh Luna you’re so cute!”

“Matsuriri, don’t laugh!”

“No Luna, it’s ok! Matsuri is right, that’s cute, but having those thoughts when looking at him is not weird at all.”

“… Is it not?”

“That’s the whole point, he was, well, he is just our sex doll fantasy, a man so attractive, tall, with muscles, he even has a sweet voice and is great at sex.”

“Oh… nanora…”

“He’s so hot you wouldn’t even mind sharing him with other girls, which, was something Matsuri did.”

“Hehehe…”

“Matsuriri…”

“But, that’s all there’s to it, and after you manage to have sex with him, the next day you won’t want anything from him, no matter how attractive, hunk, nice or tall he is, you won’t want him to give you a morning kiss, you won’t want him to say  _ ‘I love you’ _ , once you complete your fantasy to have sex with such an amazing boy, you will toss him away.”

“But… that’s so cruel nanora… what about his feelings?”

“Would you want to try him for a night, Luna?”

“…”

“I’ve had the same thoughts, don’t worry, but those thoughts alone mean the next day you and I will toss him away, we wouldn’t be able to see him on the eye.”

“… nanora…”

“Fubuki, I think that’s enough.”

“Hehe, did I step on thin ice?”

“Why do you act like this when it comes to him?”

“… Because. You know, there was one time I talked with Choco, she told me his ex-girlfriend was a VTuber just like us.”

“What, really?”

“And their relationship was incredibly empty, that girl was obsessed with him as a sex doll and nothing else, they ended breaking up in less than a year, hurting the other.”

“Takuni…”

“Maybe that’s what lies on life for him, even if he picks you, or he picks Subaru, it’ll take a lot from the person who decides to be with him.”

“So you doubt what I feel for him?”

“… I’m not even sure what you feel for him I

The truth is… I’m sorry…”

“Fubuki?”

“The only reason I’ve been acting like this is that, you were finally getting over him, you cried a lot every time you thought of him, and no matter what Aqua told you, you never felt better.”

“I agree with her on that nanora, I don’t want to see Matsuriri crying any longer because of him.”

“If you tell me you really are in love with him and is not that you miss how it felt being with him, then I will drop being bitchy, and instead, I’ll support you.”

“M-me too nanora!”

“You girls…”

“We just want you to be happy, but we want you to be happy with the right person, if you think that person is Takumi, shouldn’t you quit this whole thing of being selfish?”

“Yeah, you may be right…”

“And if you still lack confidence, we can attack him all three together in bed!”

“Bed nanora!?”

“Hey don’t put weird ideas on Luna’s mind!”

“Hahaha…”

The conversation followed full of jokes and nasty comments for a while, nonsensical chats renewing the friendly mood of the three. When they saw the sun starting to hide, they left the bathroom and changed into the white and blue yukatas of the hot spring, walked together to a small game room where they paused to have cold drinks and play ping pong, and just when they began to wonder about where was Takumi, the man appeared from the door of the room, held Matsuri from the shoulders and gave her a kiss in front of the other two and the rest of the people inside the place, he next took on her wrist, and looked straight on her eyes, “I’m tired to say  _ ‘I want to make you love me’,  _ you’re going to love me, one way or the other,” He shouts with bravery, almost as a confession, almost as a threat, but Matsuri, far from being surprised of his sudden appearance, turned full red, and silently wrapped him by the chest.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been dying to hear… for almost six months…” She whispers happily, Takumi takes her by the chin and she closes her eyes, letting go of her restraining thoughts to the moment, for a second kiss, he then whispers something on her ear that makes her spark into a burst of laughter, as if his words had tickled all the sides of her body, “Really?! Right now?! N-no, I’m not complaining at all! Let’s go!” She jumped on his arm and squeezed it.

“Matsuriri! Where are you two going nanora?” The pink one wonders with blushing confusion.

“Of course, we are going to fuck until we blackout!” Matsuri shouts back, without a single hint of shame, in front of everyone inside the room, “Ah, but don’t worry, we’ll meet you later at the bamboo thing! Uhm! Takumi, wait we get to your room!” She barely explained as another ticklish laughter invaded her body when the man grabbed her ass through the yukata with one hand.

“And so they said but is already nine and they’re not replying to our messages,” Fubuki groans checking for the fifth time on her phone, wearing her white Hanten over sweater and jeans, sitting on a bench near a pub. All the streets of the town at that moment were illuminated by a path of bamboo lanterns, spreading around the rocky avenues like little houses for fireflies, the faint candle shine giving a romantic ambient to a cloudless night full of stars, Fubuki groaned again, “And while they’re having fun doing it like rabbits, they left me with this money vacuum of a princess,” She sighed, looking at the distance Luna, happily running to her with hands filled with multiple bags with her pink Hanten.

“Fubuki, they’re selling choco bananas nanora, can I get two for you and me?” Luna said without any shame, extending her arm waiting for the fox-girl to lean the money.

“You’ve eaten too many sweets today Luna, we should be looking to eat dinner now,” Fubuki scolds her with a soft smack on the head, yet bringing out her wallet and taking a couple of bucks, “And, I won’t let you walk around for people to see you eating something like that while wearing  _ that _ collar,” She pointed with disgust to her neck, the tiny one was wearing a scandalous bondage chocker, light pink colored, “I’m not sure how to explain this anymore, but Takumi wasn’t hiding that on his bag as a gift for you, you shouldn’t have taken it.”

“But is cute and pink nanora? Why else would he bring such a girly thing if it wasn’t to gift it to me?” She claims making a pose as if she were on a photo set, “Doesn’t it make me look like a fine lady? A la mode nanora!”

“Ah! She’s wearing it! Luna for God’s sake, we spent all the evening looking for it!” A girly voice shout from the other side, it was Matsuri running to meet with the girls on her orange Hanten and Takumi slowly following from behind wearing a black version of the cloth, “Fubuki, you let her walk around with this all night?!”

“I gave up on after the second try, maybe you and Takumi would be able to explain better the purpose of that collar,” She hisses standing from the bench, then jumping on Matsuri and giving her a tight squeeze, “I was feeling really lonely… thank you for coming back.”

“Don’t ever doubt it; I won’t leave the two of you alone!” Matsuri shouts again, her face gleaming in happiness.

“Gosh, you don’t even want to pretend uh? So, am I going to be an aunt?” Fubuki asks with naught.

“Nanora?!”

“Nope! No one is going to be a mother or aunt from what happened today, we used the other hole after all!”

“NANORA?!”

“Matsuri, have a little more of shame…”

Bringing with him his camera, Takumi spends the night out taking pictures of the three as they run all over the place, chatting, eating, posing together for him, following the path of lamps around the streets of the town. At the beginning of the ceremony, the girls hurry to buy their own paper lamps, which the man helps in setting and starting the match, to later take a couple of steps back and start filming the girls as they release the lamps with the rest of the people, glowing globes of light mixing with the stars on the night, Takumi not missing a chance to capture the amazed expressions of the three, and when focusing to Matsuri, she leaned with a small smile, whispering in the commotion.

_ “I love you!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the first stories I wanted to post, but I was needing geographical references to write this down and I didn't have access to all the information used for it, but in the end it feels like this chapter wouldn't have had the same strength if I had posted it right after the one I did for Pekora, everything built up perfectly for this moment. Yes, all the flowers have a meaning for the respective person, as lavenders mean purity, dahlias mean inner strength, and cosmos mean peace and wholeness. I need to finish the r18 Pokemon project I left hanging, so there may not be more updates until the end of the month.
> 
> PS: I apologize if you were hoping for any specific sex scene for this ending, I just couldn't.


	6. White Silence (Fubuki's Happy Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said in the introduction these chapters were going to be short? I, too, don't know what happened, but these past two are way too long.

“Of all people I could find this day… why it had to be you…”

Fubuki mourned to Takumi when the man spots her leaning in the fence-wall of a house. It was a warm morning of November regardless of the sporadic cold breeze; a silent day in a medium-class neighborhood. The white fox-girl had her body resting against the wall, facing the man while frowning and with a strange nervous tic on her right eyebrow, she was sweating, slightly and slowly panting with her mouth partially open in exhaustion, she fixed the hair on her face with a grunt.

“Hey dude, long time no see.”

Takumi spent analyzing the entire scene with a comical facial expression; the man was minding his own business and checking on his phone when he bumped with the girl.

“Hey Fubuki, you are looking pale, here, let me lend you a hand.”

But she slapped him on the wrist.

“Ah… I’m sorry.

I’m sorry but, can you please just… pretend you didn’t see me and continue wherever you were going? Is not like… I don’t need help, but you can’t help me.”

His look of confusion grew stronger, Takumi shoves his phone into the pocket of his pants and slowly leaned on the wall with her. Silently staring at her from head to toes and noticing her pointy ears and tail which highlight on her signature; white outfit with short shorts.

“I’m sorry too, but it's hard not wanting to help you while you’re doing such a face, you’re also wearing your usual clothes in a public street, aren’t you afraid of being found out?”

The girl made a childish tantrum, literally stepping on the floor with fury and holding onto her face.

“Mio lives around here and the people in this neighborhood don’t make a fuss over knowing me… Listen, I just got dizzy for a moment, like my blood pressure went down, or up, I don’t know, and, I had to take a pause ok? Please go away, I’ll get going as soon as I catch my second breath.”

But the man just sighed and scratched the back of his head, meditating on her request. After a couple of minutes, he stands back on the street and faces the way inside the neighborhood.

“If you were in your right mind, you wouldn’t be trying to catch a second breath, you would be calling Mio to pick you up, is obvious you can’t think straight with… whatever is happening to you right now, at least let me walk with you and see you reach her house safe and sound.”

Fubuki gasped to his combination of explanation and scolding, making a clicking sound of plastic through the cloth of her shorts when she touched her phone. Huffing and looking down the floor, unable to contradict his accusations, she bit in her lower lip with a pout, and after taking a deep breath of air, she used her current strength to push her body out of the wall and stand close to him.

“You’re so annoying… but this sensation makes me a little anxious too… just don’t get any closer, ok?”

She requested with a crying tone in the end, the man gave a nod, and then they slowly began to walk inside the neighborhood. The fox-girl was pacing her breath, taking one step at a time, in the cloudless sky of that morning; she looked as if she were melting if it weren’t because it was the middle of fall. Takumi patiently matched her way of walking, he was curious about whatever was going through Fubuki at the moment, but he didn’t have the bravery to start the conversation, instead, it was her who looked at him and spout the first sentence.

“Last time we saw each other was in the fiasco of Kuju Hana Koen… Never thought I would see you again, and on top of it so little after, this must be how Stand Users feel, heh.”

Takumi’s face snapped with annoyance at her attempt at conversation.

“You sure never stop with that attitude, calling it a fiasco, didn’t you have fun that weekend? I worked hard to obtain her friendship, and I’m not taking for granted her feelings ever again.”

Fubuki forced a chuckle, looking back at him from the corner of her eyes.

“That’s more like it, hah… to be able to speak like that, I’m kind of glad, it means you aren’t accompanying me out of pity.

I’m sorry to be always on the defensive… like I said this sensation makes me anxious, to be honest, is kind of a scary feeling. And to answer your question, yes, I did have fun, so did Luna and Matsuri… things didn’t end as we hoped though, but you aren’t the bad guy I thought you were.”

She stopped walking and made a sigh of relief, making Takumi stop a little after; she pulled a small smile and then continued, skillfully pacing her respiration.

“Thank you for keeping Matsuri close to you regardless, taking all of us to the other side of the country… I also heard of the immense effort you did for Aqua taking her to Funland, I don’t know why do you feel the need to… give so much to people who aren’t giving you even a quarter of those feelings back, that’s kind of self-destructive, you know? Idiots like you always get hurt the most… and I bet those two feel guilty to undermine all that ridiculous waste of attention and money you did, but Aqua has grown into a woman now… and Matsuri finally stopped crying, I may have fox ears and a tail, but somehow you’re the weird one.”

As soon as she finished her speech, her legs started to shake; Takumi took a sudden step startled by the look on her face, growing paler and weaker.

“Y-you know, if you suddenly drop a lecture like that while looking so grim, anyone would think you’re about to die, would you please explain why is that you’re-… wow!” 

He ran to get a hold of the girl as she no longer could stand still; taking her from the shoulders he makes Fubuki lean over his body.

“Easy goes… hey, I’m _this_ close to make you walk back and take you to a hospital, if you dare to tell me you don’t need help again, at least tell me what is going on, are you sick of anything?”

Fubuki made a silent pause, unable to look him directly on the eyes. All she could do was to regulate her breathing; she crawled to the left side of his body and surrounded his arm with hers.

“It’s… a women’s thing, I don’t need a hospital, I need Mio, let’s hurry up, it’s getting difficult to walk.”

“Uhm… very well.”

They hadn’t finished walking a block before the attitude of the girl changed from one extreme to another after failing to stand for herself. Now hanging on his arm, Fubuki signals him to turn left in the next intersection, now passing through a long parade of modern and Japanese-style houses, a couple of eyes from the people living in the community pose on them, but as the girl had previously announced, they seemed used to see her around, quickly going back on their own business. Takumi could only hear her respiration; it had been now ten long minutes of reaching the so-called house of the wolf-girl, the progress to reach the point of reunion was limited by her stamina.

“You know… is not like I have other things to do today, well, I kind of have to, but I don’t mind helping, I offered myself to after all. Yet, this is taking a lot of time, would you let me, car-“

“If you finish that thought I’ll bite your arm, my fangs are long.”

“… Roger that.”

“Is embarrassing enough that people… are watching me being this close of you, I don’t want to appear in Mio’s house in a himedako.”

“You didn’t say that when we were in Aso.”

“Oh? Hahaha… Looks like I keep underestimating you, turns out you also know how to talk back.”

“I guess is late to ask but, how did you get away from the fake kiss?”

“To this day she still doesn’t know, and… I don’t have the heart to tell her, not that it matters now that you’re just friends, right?

So you still think about it? Did I leave such an impression on you?”

“Don’t flatter yourself; I was just curious about if you two got into a fight, it’s good to know nothing happened.”

“Haha this is so funny, or maybe it's because I’m feeling so weird, but I like this part of you… not letting me wear you down, but you still show worry for me, in which fabric are hotties like you made?”

“So now am I hottie? Did I leave such an impression on you?”

“Now is my time to say, _don’t flatter yourself_ , you are attractive that’s a given, but you aren’t my type… hah… I’m not that fan of muscles.”

“You were giving a throughout look to them that day at the mountain though.”

“Because any girl… likes the idea of being with a man with a six-pack at least once, you more than anyone should know that.”

“I guess, not that I’m planning to give you a tour about it.”

“Hah! Ouch… I can’t even laugh, but that’s rich of you… I don’t have any need to be chasing you around; do you think I haven’t had boyfriends before? That I haven’t had sex before?”

“Geez, whatever is going through your veins right now it sure is making you talkative, your fans would have an attack of hysteria if they get to hear what you’re saying.”

“Ah… they don’t have anything to worry; I haven’t seen action in like…”

“…Like?”

“No, wow, I almost slipped, why would I tell you?”

“Because it seems you’re flirting with me.”

“…

…

… She would have an attack of hysteria if she gets to hear that.”

“… I’m getting mixed signals now…”

“Takumi… I don’t know myself, maybe I’m playing hard to get?”

“I’m sorry Fubuki, but, I actually… have never seen you with those eyes.”

“Oh, is that so? God, now I feel quite the stupid… hanging on your arm like this and relying on you, you don’t even think of me as a friend, do you?”

“… I don’t, and that also applies to you.”

“Yes… hah.”

“Hahaha…”

“What the hell is wrong with us, in just a moment we reduced this situation into a stranger helping… another stranger?”

“I’m still taking you up to Mio’s house, don’t worry, I’m not that cold.”

“Uhm… thank you, and, I’m sorry, I’ve been too hard on you, since the first time we met.”

“No need to apologize, maybe I’m a masochist, but I like girls like you, who can beat me both in strength and words.”

“My, my, who is the one flirting now?”

Between bitter compliments and bland insults to each other, the two find a way to kill time while making their way up to Mio’s house. Fubuki presses on the intercom of the house and calls for the girl, awkwardly looking at the other, distancing from the other, each step more.

“So… This is where we say goodbye.”

“Yeah, this was the most awful encounter, for both of us, but thanks for being you I guess.”

The wolf appeared with a smile when opening the wooden doors of the fence, surprised by the man and for the look on Fubuki’s face.

“Chu… uh?! What happened in your way here?!”

“Hey Mio, I’m, well… I was walking here and it suddenly hit on me the… you-know-what, do you have any more of that tea? I need some of it right now.”

“ _That_ tea…? Ah, ah! Sure! Oh my God! Hahaha! Is that why you’re like that?! Hurry up and come inside, oh poor you, I bet it was embarrassing to walk like that, don’t worry you’re safe here.”

Mio then while giggling and smacking Fubuki’s shoulder, turned her face to the man.

“You too… whoever you are, come in and have some tea, you can’t leave like that.”

The other two made a doubtful swing of the head in unison.

“Wait, why Takumi too?”

“OH, this is Takumi? I didn’t recognize you at all! 

Yes him too, because he reeks of you, didn’t you notice?”

Fubuki sniffed in the air with a serious expression.

“Crap… I’m sorry dude, but listen to Mio on this one.”

“Come in big guy, I have someone who is going to be _so_ happy to meet you.”

They cross the fence together and walk inside the house. Taking off their shoes in the receiver and stepping into the living room, Fubuki and Takumi are faced with Korone and Okayu, as Mio makes silent gestures to the two, pointing to the fox with a sneer, and make the duo explode in instant laughter, Fubuki’s face glowing red mixed on her exhaustion. Joining Okayu on the sofas as Korone ran upstairs with devilish laughter, Mio made a slight reverence and walked to the kitchen alone; the cat-girl was losing her breath from laughing so hard.

“Oh my God, imagine having to walk all the way here like that, and with Takumi right next to you, how did you hold up?”

“S-shut up, your voice is making my ears ringing, I feel like I’m losing my mind, Okayu please.”

“Okie, Okie, we’ll leave the jokes for later hehe, come here, let me pet your head.”

She crawled to the lap of the cat, whining like a child and resting her body over her, Okayu slowly caressing her head. Takumi seemed to be holding on to his breath, sitting on the sofa in the corner of the living room, unknown of what was his role inside the house, observing the mix of modern and antiques, clean and tidy, bringing on his phone and trying on an attempt to distract himself, but the curiosity was beating him more.

“Ok, I mean it this time, what is happening? Why am I here? I have to go work in like an hour and a half, is this going to take long?”

Okayu, who was paying attention to the friend curling on her lap with sick moans, looked up to him with a peaceful smile, she was going to reply, but the girl coughed trying not to laugh again, cleared her throat, and tried a second time.

“It shouldn’t take long, you just have to drink Mio’s tea and let it work, maybe fifteen minutes? And for why do you have to… just believe in us, or you’ll end smelling like Fubuki for a week.”

And when Takumi had finally started placing all pieces together, the hurried steps of someone coming from the first floor had Fubuki and Okayu giggling discretely, followed by a shadow of a woman rolling on the receiver, sounds of shoes falling everywhere. Korone following soon after, calmer, yet laughing at the one trying to stand up and crawl in the living room, it was Subaru.

“Ah… AH! Takumi…!”

The girl had turned into an uncharacteristic handful of nerves, fidgeting with her arms swinging in front and behind her body, shyly staring at him, the floor, then back at him, making the man look at her with a face interpreting sarcasm.

“H-hello thought I would never see you again, how are you doing?!”

“Hello Subaru, erhm, yeah I’m doing fine, it really has been a while, although if I had to be honest, I continue looking at your videos, so it doesn’t feel like that long.”

“Eh… is that so? Ehe… ehehehe…”

“Sorry for barging in too, it seems all of you were having a collab today? I’ll leave as soon as Mio lets me so don’t worry.”

“Not at all! You’re not bothering at all! Right girls!?”

“The only who is being bothered by Takumi is this one on my legs, right?”

“Fubuki, why?”

“Because I’m…”

The fox didn’t finish the answer; instead, Korone hops from where she was standing and whispers something in Subaru’s ear, the girl exploding into a new burst of embarrassment.

“Oh my God Takumi! How could you?! Oh uh, well I guess it wasn’t your intention? But how could you?!”

The man sighs, again lost on the situation, he just let the girl continue scolding him, unknown of the reasons. As the minutes pass by, the energetic and strange start of the meeting quickly dyes down, the girls get busy chit-chatting with each other, and even Fubuki begins to recover a bit of her semblance, getting up from Okayu’s lap and properly sitting on the sofa. While Takumi had finally given up and was just scrolling on his phone, separated both in distance and silence from the girls, Subaru kept constantly gazing at him, and the girls started to notice on her gestures, flustered cheeks, and fixed lips, Korone then stood from the sofa and dragged a small stool to sit in front of Takumi.

“You seem awfully quiet, are you uncomfortable here, maybe you’re mad at us?”

“Uh… no? I just, don’t have anything to talk with you girls, why would I be mad?”

“Well you know, because of Aqua.”

The other three gradually stopped their conversation and looked at the man.

“Don’t worry about that, it has been a lot, but I feel I have gotten over it, what kind of person gets mad at someone’s friends because of what that individual did? That would be crappy of me.”

“That’s really nice to hear, I don’t know much about you and well, is not like, and forgive me if it sounds rude, _care_ , about you, but it feels relieving that you’re doing well.”

Subaru agreed to the surprising mature speech of the dog-girl with a cheerful nod, the other two showed him a couple of tiny smiles.

“I see… it seems that at some moment you girls worried about how was I doing? Thank you, I’m doing fine, those months with you all feel like some crazy long party now.”

“Eh, party you say? I personally like reminiscing those days.”

Okayu middled with her soft tone and a smug face, the others slightly blushing at her insinuation, Korone kept with her straightforward approach, all the time giving eye signals to Subaru.

“So, what are you doing now?”

“Me you ask? Well, I’m working on giving guitar lessons.”

“Is that so? Subaru is having music lessons for her singing; maybe you could give her a tip or two?”

“Eh? Singing and playing are different but, I guess I can?”

“What else, what else? Anything interesting in your life?”

“Korone, what’s with those questions all of a sudden?”

“Because is awkward that you’re just sitting here without talking to us, c’mon!”

“Well… I’ve been thinking of going back to college? Maybe by spring of next year in Tokyo.”

“Really?! Subaru started in there not so long ago, you are going to be her senior!”

He turned his face to the black-haired girl with a smile.

“Is that so? It seems that you won’t get rid of me so easily after all, although I’m going to be a no-good senior, pleased to help you in whatever you need, Subaru.”

The three animal-girl quickly snapped on an insinuating and high pitched – huuuuuuuuh – while looking at the girl, who nervously fixed her hair with a bright red face, making agitated whimpers from being shamed by her friends. Mio had finally come back from the kitchen; she was holding a tray with a cup of tea over it, but just one cup.

“Fubuki, here you have it, if you want you can go to the backyard.”

“Mio… you sure know me well, thank you, I promise I won’t leave a mess.”

“I know you won’t, off you go, c’mon.”

The wolf said gently smacking the butt of the white one, who held in the teacup with both hands and after bowing to the group of girls, she disappeared from a door deep in the kitchen, Takumi raised his hand to call on Mio’s attention.

“Hey now… wasn’t I suppose to drink one of that too?”

“Oh… Oh! Sorry there Takumi, I _totally_ forgot you were here, but don’t worry, I put the kettle on the stove again, do you mind waiting for a little more?”

Mio explained while swinging on the top of her feet, repeatedly apologizing to him; then discreetly making a wink to Subaru, who was barely starting to calm down when she yet erupted into another red squirm.

“Well, what were you guys talking while I was away?”

“Oh nothing, I was just asking Takumi a couple of things, he was all mute, it seems he doesn’t like your house Mio.”

“Is that so?”

“N-no! Wow, Korone you’re making me look like an ass!”

“Hahaha!”

“So…?”

Okayu interrupted for a second time, arching her back and resting her face over her hands, her tail swinging around.

“Are you single yet, or did you find a girlfriend who is not as weird as us?”

“What a… tricky question, none of you are weird, well; I guess… none of you are weird! And not dating at the moment!”

The girls shared a commuted and loud laughter, Mio joined in the conversation with another stool, giving a serious look to Subaru then changing stares to Takumi, but the cat hadn’t ended middling in the topic.

“Is that so? Then would you like to date Subaru or me someday? I enjoyed the time we spent together, even if it was a bit nasty, so what if we make it into something more formal?”

“Okayu, I’m not really a fan of those kinds of jokes you know? The only reason I used not retort those kinds of ideas was that I was getting _paid_ to go along with them, so now I can admit that I don’t like getting told half-hearted propositions all of a sudden.”

“Half-hearted…?”

The girl was astonished by the harsh reply, dropping both her stance and her smile, quite surprised. She silently stared at the group, while Subaru didn’t know what silent signals to drop at her, Korone and Mio looked back at the cat with a disapproving face, Okayu sighed.

“I guess I did say it half-heartedly… I’m sorry, but uh, I also said so easily because… I’ve been thinking about it for some time until now, I couldn’t avoid letting you know.”

“Okayu?”

 _“Okayu?”_ Her name was asked in unison by the group seconds after the man; her cheeks were gleaming with red. Subaru was staring at her thunderstruck, the other looked back at her bittersweet, the silent pauses they started to take between parts of the conversation weren’t helping anyone at all, and Korone childish pout was just adding more signals for the man to get what was happening, Mio decided to talk now.

“Never mind that, you know how Okayu is.”

“Yes I know, I’m sorry if my voice was aggressive just now, I should really just leave.”

“Oh, believe me, you’d want to have a cup of tea before that, could you bear with us a little longer please?”

“… Fine, but just because the insistence about the tea is starting to sound serious.”

Subaru breathed in relief, leaning on the sofa in an attempt to finally voice her thoughts, but Mio wasn’t done.

“Then, if you don’t mind, I want to ask a _not_ half-hearted question, what kind of girl do you like?”

“Wait, me…?”

“Yes! I mean, it seems that there have been girls interested in you, or so that’s what I get for what I’ve been told, but I’ve never heard if you ever had a type in specific.”

“If I look back at it, I guess you’re right.”

Korone gave a stealth thumbs up to Mio and she replied with a nod and a smile, suddenly both Okayu and Subaru were growing nervous, the dog and the wolf allied in the interrogatory, taking turns at it.

“So, what do you like out of girls the most?”

“That would be… Wait a minute, why am I even following this skit, why are you asking me these things?”

“Oh c’mon, don’t men like to flaunt about their tastes, you can go!”

“… You won’t get mad?”

“Not at all, go ahead!”

“Then… I guess, the first thing that comes to mind is, I like long-haired girls, more than I’d like to admit.”

“… Long hair you say…”

“Ah but, I’m not saying it just because you two have long hair, don’t worry!”

“Aw don’t say that so fast! Let us at least believe for a while you may have a crush on us!”

“But what else, what else do you like? Do you prefer skinny girls?”

“That… would be awful to admit or deny of me… I guess I don’t have a preference in that matter, although I’ve only been with skinny girls, I can’t say much.”

“Wait, did you forget about Okayu and Marine?”

“Korone?!”

A red-faced cat shout.

“Oh, you’re right, I guess I do like a little bit of chubby then.”

“TAKUMI?!”

The red-faced cat was boiling in shame.

“Never mind that… do you like cheerful girls or serious girls? Though you had a crush for Aqua and well, she’s neither of that.”

“I think I have a weakness for cheerful girls but, I probably would get tired of that personality in the long term, I guess I’d prefer someone with their feet on the ground, they don’t have to be serious but uh, smart? And self-aware.”

“I see…”

“I guess I also like girls with an attitude, heh, maybe I’m a masochist that way, it must feel great to be constantly pampered with care by someone, but I don’t think that’s for me.”

“…”

“Someone with a sharp personality but who can show their caring side now and then, I think that’s what I like the most, it makes me feel I can have something serious with someone like that.”

“…”

“Oops, suddenly I started to bark on my own… girls? Is something wrong?”

Korone looked at him with disgust, while Mio released a grunt and went back to the kitchen when listening to the whistling noises of the kettle. Okayu and Subaru looked at each other defeated. Takumi asked one more time, but no one dared to reply to him, after three minutes Mio comes into the living room again, violently placing a cup of hot-boiling tea on the table in front of him, without spilling the liquid, she looked at him dissatisfied.

“The wrong thing is that you suddenly started describing your likings as if you were talking about an ex!”

“Oh… crap, I guess I did, heh.”

“Don’t _‘heh’_ me, go to the backyard with Fubuki, we need to make a count of loses.”

_“Count of loses?”_

“Just go!”

The wolf-girl had actually taken on him by the armpit and forced him to stand up as he nervously hurried to hold the teacup. Pushing him from the back with both hands until she finally had shoved the man inside the kitchen, then pointed to the next door at him. Being left alone, Takumi slowly walked from place to place, diving into a middle-narrow hallway, turning right into another door and coming out to the scaffold of the backyard where Fubuki had been silently sitting. The girl’s ears twitching from hearing his steps, nervously holding on to her cup and dragging a box of paper below her shorts, she was looking at him with an angry and pouty face.

“Sorry to bother again… I have no idea of what just happened, but Mio sent me here after getting mad at me…”

Fubuki covered her mouth with a hand while Takumi sat beside her; then looked the other way, doing her best for their eyes to don’t meet.

“I see… then you failed the test… poor girl.”

Her words were muffled between her fingers and a strange need to don’t open her mouth. Takumi ignored this and sipped on the tea, sticking out his tongue in disgust, distanced from the drink with his arm, looking at it with grimace, breathing deeply, and trying again.

“Urgh, this tastes like ass, it can only be medicinal tea… why am I drinking medicinal tea?”

But the fox just kept turning her body, giving him her back.

“Just… drink it, hah, I’m glad you still haven’t found what is happening.”

“Uhm… But I can tell what is happening now, you are going to suffocate, just let it go, would you?”

The man said and poked over the middle of her back, and as if he had pressed on a button, Fubuki screeched an acute – Eep! – And a cloud of smoke came from her mouth. The white one now makes a violent turn, looking back at him with tiny tears in her eyes.

“Urgh!”

“Hahaha, c’mon, I can even see the cigarette in your other hand from here.”

“… Is just… is only once or twice a month…”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m… trying to say that I only smoke once or twice a month.”

“And… why are you telling me?”

“What?”

“I don’t need an explanation Fubuki, moreover, do you feel so guilty about it you feel in the need to excuse yourself with me? That isn’t you.”

“Ah… you know what? You’re right, so shut up and just drink the tea.”

“That’s more like it; sounds like you’re feeling better, of whatever that was.”

“Gosh and even though I tell you to shush it, Mio knew I was going to do this and that’s why she sent me here so the others didn’t see me… why did she send you?”

“I think she was too mad to remember you were smoking.”

They both go silent by sipping on their cups, trying to let the sounds of the remaining birds and leaves fluttering around to distract them, but it wasn’t working to avoid the awkward sights. Observing the girl exhales a cloud of smoke which gets dragged in the small wind, he extended his right hand.

“Give me one.”

“Uh, you smoke too? If anything I thought you were going to ask me to smoke somewhere else.”

“When you work in a brothel you can’t reject when women invite you drinks and cigarettes, you can fake drinking alcohol, but you can’t fake smoking, so.”

“That must be the saddest reason to become a smoker.”

“Well, nowadays I too only do it once or twice a month.”

The girl looked at him with a twist of lips, and without removing her eyes off him; she brought the pack of cigarettes from below her butt. She put a new one on her mouth and held in the old one in her left hand, using it as a match to light the cigarette and make quick breathes to ignite it, not even inhaling the smoke. Once she’s done, she shakes the ashes over the tip with a finger bump and hands it to the man.

“You know your stuff.”

“If we both smoke then I don’t have to pretend, do I?”

“Yeah, you’re right… what a strange day this morning has been.”

“What do you mean?”

They took a chug of the tea and grimaced at the same time, then continued smoking.

“Well, I stopped seeing Choco after some weeks, we barely talk anymore, is the same with Matsuri, even if we are on good terms we don’t talk often, and, well you already know it but Pekora and I are friends yet, this isn’t what I was thinking it would be.”

“Then again I ask, what do you mean?”

“I mean _this_ , this whole thing… I thought that after what happened with Aqua it was really the end, that I wouldn’t have to see you, people, again that often, we live very different lives and one way or the other I wasn’t part of you people’s world. I thought things would calm down after that, but I keep bumping with you guys, Subaru too, I bet she’s uncomfortable with the idea that we may see each other on campus.”

“Pffhahaha! Oh God, why would Subaru hate it? Man, you sure are sloooooow!”

“But why she would like it? Look at this situation even Fubuki, I was forced to come in here, and still, it feels I’m not welcomed at all and is not the first time I feel like this around you people, I would like… more peace.”

“… That’s… God, that’s horrible…”

“Come again?”

“I guess you don’t understand it yet but, what you just said… is horrible. We know, Takumi, we know how hectic is to be around us and our lives, we know more than anyone how we can move from spending our days streaming inside a room and the next week holding concerts and spectacles. You’re basically saying that we are annoying to you and that you want to stay away from us and everything that implies… I never thought you would say something so horrible… and on top of it you did it accidentally.”

“I’m-…”

“Don’t you dare to say you’re _sorry_ , is how you feel, you’re fed up of us, and that is ok, I’m not pointing it out for you to apologize, I’m pointing it out because I too have the right to speak.”

“Still, I should have been more self-aware, is obvious I’m fed up, but those specific words weren’t on my thoughts for the moment.”

“Gladly you said it to me first then the girls, everyone else would have kicked you out and later break like crying babies.”

“You make it sound like you didn’t get hurt by what I said?”

“Oh it hurt me, but I don’t care about your opinions, to begin with, so is like getting anon hate.”

“… You know, what if we change that a little? Is not like I hate you, so we should try to get along a little better, instead to be constantly bickering at the other, don’t you think so?”

“Eeeehhhh? But I actually do like what we have, is kind of funny, I’ve never had a relationship like this with a man.”

“Like this you mean?”

“Yeah… is some kind of… friendly enmity.”

“I see…? Say, before we finish smoking… can I know what the hell was happening with you? Why did I have to drink the same medicine?”

“Nope, if you haven’t figured it out yet then is better that way, women’s secret should be kept secret.”

They shared an awkward giggle and didn’t talk again the entire time. Picking up the ashes left over the wooden scaffold and placing them inside the paper pack, they looked at each other with a small, fake smile and walked together back inside the house in silence. Meeting with Mio and Subaru who had gotten busy in the kitchen while Korone and Okayu were setting up a game station in the living room, Fubuki stretched her arms with an acute whimper, calling the attention of the four on purpose.

“Sorry girls, but I think I’ll leave for today, I feel good now, but I think it might be better to go back home and sleep.”

She explained poking her pockets to check if she had left anything, then gave a different, honest smile to the girls. As she waved to them and was greeted back, she started walking to the receiver, with Takumi following behind.

“Excuse me? Why are you following me?”

“I’m not, I’m leaving too.”

“Oh well, but I’m going to the bus stop, so please go and take the train.”

“Aren’t you exaggerating? We aren’t even going to ride the same bus I bet.”

“Oh you’re right, ok; then let’s go.”

“Wait!”

Mio bumped in with a small tray with freshly baked cookies, shoving one into each one of their mouths. While they cough the cookie on their hand and hiss to cool off their mouths, both of them ignore the scandal of a panicked girl in the kitchen and the cat and dog cheering her up from the living room. But the wolf didn’t explain the reason for the hold-up, she just said she wanted to give them a little snack before they left, so both renewed into taking their shoes and walking away.

But after they closed the wooden fence and started getting on the sidewalk of the neighborhood. When they turned left on Mio’s house, returning on their previous steps still without talking to the other, they hear the fence be slammed open, and while Takumi turned back in surprise at the noise, Fubuki sighed and continued her walk, observing with annoyance at Subaru rushing to meet with the man.

“Hey… HEY! YOU!”

“Yes… me, I’m Takumi, are you ok, did something happen?”

“I… I need to tell you something!”

“Oh, is it because of the college thing, don’t worry ok? If we ever see each other, we don’t really have to talk the other, but if you ever need help, I’m willing to lend-…”

“No, is not that! Please wait a minute; I’m just trying to look for the words, urgh!”

“Ok… take it slowly.”

“The… the thing is… well, of everything you said about the type of girl you like…”

“About that, yes I understand that was kinda trashy of me, don’t worry.”

“No no! Please don’t interrupt me urgh, is hard, it’s hard to say this!”

“I’m sorry, I’ll shut up now, take your time.”

Her face was brilliant red, muffling her squirms of frustration for not being able to voice her thoughts, inflating her cheeks, and jumping in the same place. Subaru decided to slap her own cheeks and shake her head, firmly looking at him, red as a boiling hot pot.

“I’m…! I’m interested in you!

But… but it feels like… I’m not the type of girl you would be interested and… it also feels like you would rather distance yourself from us, and yet, I’m interested in you!

You probably feel weird about us for everything that happened, but I’m interested in you!

So, please…! Don’t distance yourself from us… from me, because, I, maybe, I’m interest-… no

I think… I may have a crush on you so… I think I may like you so…

Do you think… you would look at me more if I did something like… growing my hair?”

Takumi held onto his desire to gasp, frowning, and processing the confession he just got told. He looked for his phone on his pants but stopped midway, he was growing anxious unknown of what to do, and it wasn’t helping the other three girls were peeking at them from a corner of the house. 

“Subaru… would you really go as far, as changing your hair-style for someone else?”

“I… only if you say you’d like it… I want to try doing something for you because I heard about Matsuri’s trip… you keep giving and giving to other people… wouldn’t you like to receive?”

“…Maybe.”

The girls on the back gasped in excitement, the girl in front of him squirmed with wide-open eyes; the white one hiding on the next intersection gave a mocking giggle.

“But.”

Then they turned dead mute.

“Can I give you a proper answer, some other time?”

Everyone else sighed in disappointment.

“Do you promise… to give me an answer?”

“I promise.”

Takumi brought his phone, this time his action had a purpose. He took the e-mail address of the girl and Subaru did the same for him, unknown of what to say to her, Takumi just leaned for a kiss on the cheek making her shake in embarrassment, then waved goodbye to the girls behind her back as he walked away, making them jump startled, surprising Subaru who runs to scream at them for spying.

When he crosses the intersection, he’s surprised to see Fubuki had been waiting for him, swinging her phone from left to right with a forced whistling, the man decided to share his info with her too. But the rest of the trip out of the neighborhood and the streets are done in complete silence, just like the man had predicted, they end taking different bus routes, the fox-girl waves goodbye to him, and he stays sitting at the bus stop waiting for his ride.

It was the end of November and the city was sprinkled in tiny amounts of snowfall over the roofs of the buildings and houses. The breeze had increased both in coldness and strength, and it was noticeable in the layers of clothes the citizens started to wear when going out. The mornings and the days began to grow cloudy and gray, and the sunsets were no longer noticeable between the short times of the evenings and nights. It was at the last weekend of the month, in one of many other afternoons powdered in white, where Takumi and Fubuki were walking side to side in the city, this time the girl was using a long jacket and hat to cover her tail and ears on top of covering them from the cold, yet she was wearing her most recent outfit of street fashion over it, in an odd combination of black, blue and white.

“You know, when I messaged you over I didn’t expect to find you in my dressing room, how do you keep getting inside the studio? I thought I said Coco to stop letting you in.”

“Ah, I have my own keys; Coco has never opened the door for me.”

“Hah, those are two lies glued together with truth, although I can’t tell which one is each one.”

“Just pretend you believe me then.”

“I guess, but be careful ok? Nobody wants to hear the police was called over a trespasser.”

“… I would say thanks for worrying for me, but I guess you mean it would be troublesome for the rest, not me.”

“Hehe, looks like you finally are starting to know me.”

She leaned on him by dropping her weight on his arm, snuggling his arm, and yawning.

“You should go back to your home and sleep.”

“Don’t wanna, you promised me we’ll eat hamburgers if we had sex, I want my hamburgers.”

“You’re speaking in plural…”

“I often eat two or three after all.”

“I knew there was something odd when you pushed me to be the one paying for it.”

“Hehehe.”

“Say, do you want to go to my place later and do it again?”

“Oho? Did I let you wanting for more? Crap that was honestly embarrassing to hear, and kind of empowering at the same time, but I don’t think we should do it again, I don’t want you to see me like that again.”

“Half-naked on your swimsuit?”

“Gee, is that the only thing you’re thinking? Is that why you made me save the swimsuit in my jacket?”

“Kind of…”

“Hehe, so you like to see me in my swimsuit? You sure are a picky guy, making me please your kinks in this cold.”

“Well yes, I do think you look hot on it, it was great to see you wear it face to face.”

“Stop it! Even if we aren’t friends you can’t say all those things! Even I can fluster you know?!”

“Right sorry, sorry, is just that it feels we can talk about anything.”

“Any-way! I’m not so sure about doing it again, after all… I look gross when I do it.”

“… Is that why you drink tea and smoke a cigarette instead of letting yourself go? Because you think you look gross?”

“Wow, so you finally found out?”

“I’m ashamed to admit it took me two days to understand, but yes I did.”

They stopped at the streetlight in an avenue, waiting for the light to turn back green. Crossing with another handful of people, their breaths took shape in the air as the snowfall was aggravated with the pass of the minutes. The streetlights slowly began to light up, and the yellow lights coming out from the stores matched in unexpected harmony with the gray exteriors, mild-warm colors combined with the gaudy ones from the advertisements on the huge screens and light extensions of the early Christmas decorations in the plazas.

“You probably enjoyed it, watching me being so out of character, I don’t like it, so yes; I prefer tea and smoking.”

“I did enjoy it, but not for those reasons, or maybe yes? You are… hot, you shouldn’t feel ashamed of the way sex makes you feel.”

“Urgh, why do you have to say that word in specific, and here I was trying to avoid it.”

“You say it just ten minutes ago.”

“That was different, and honestly, why do you think I look hot…? I always, end feeling so disgusted with myself, the noises I make and the expressions on my face, I hate that part of me.”

“If you dislike it that much, then why…?”

“Oh, well, because I dislike what am I when I do it, but I don’t dislike doing it... that moment when you… locked my arms from behind with your hand, you’re so strong and I couldn’t release myself… that feeling of restrainment while you were behind me, made me feel my heart was going to bump out of my chest.”

“Hahaha, that was rather specific for someone who is trying not to say the word _sex_.”

“Don’t make fun of me; you were the one who proposed to stop bickering the other.”

“I know I’m sorry, I’m glad that you liked it so much, I liked being with you too, you whimper with such a cute voice, it just made me want to move faster and harder on you and-…”

“Wait, wait, you’re doing it again… please, when I’m specific is not the same when you are specific when you do it is like… it makes me feel hot and weird and I hate it.”

After they pass around a San Donalds Fubuki ends confused as to why the man ignored the place. Even more surprised as they skip another but just as popular franchise, but the surprise has a meaning the moment when Takumi stops in front of a BBQ restaurant in the food street of a boulevard, which has multiple illustrations of grilled meat hamburgers, the fox squishes his arm in the absolute delight of the pictures and the smell. Sitting in the far corner end of the restaurant distanced from the rest of the costumers and separated by the furniture designs, they take their jackets and scarves off, without fear of letting her pointy ears being shown, hurrying to scrub the cold out of her tail. A waitress appeared a couple of minutes later and handed them the menus, where the girl keep happily screeching at the list of hamburgers, but contrary to what she said before she orders just one, the man does the same, along with ordering the drinks for them. Checking on their phones as they wait for the food be delivered, while the rest of the restaurant was cheerful in conversations, they didn’t, but their feet were rubbing the ones of the other below the table, when Takumi slightly tickled her on purpose, she dropped the phone and looked at him with curious eyes.

“Can I ask you something private?”

“Whenever one of you ask something like that it always ends badly, I rather you don’t.”

“It has been some weeks since Subaru’s confession, what was your answer?”

“Did… did you listen to what I just said? That’s private you fool.”

“Hey don’t insult me you musclebrain, I’m just curious because Subaru’s been acting quite normal, she’s isn’t happy nor sad, no one can tell what you told her and she won’t say anything, did you reject her feelings?”

“Fubuki… if she won’t answer why would I tell you? And if anything, we were together just some hours ago, do you think I would do that if I were dating a girl?”

“How should I know? You spent an entire weekend with six different girls, for what I care you’re very likely to fall into adultery.”

“Then I ask if you thought something like that, why we did what we did?”

“I explained the other day, didn’t I? Because I like our friendly enmity.”

“So if I were dating someone, you would still do it with me?”

“Of course not, but if you never tell me, I wouldn’t ask either.”

“You know what, why we don’t change the conversation.”

“Sure, do you mind if I pick the subject?”

“I do, but you would just ignore me again, go ahead.”

“What if you and I start dating?”

“… Excuse me?”

“… If we date, you may be able to see me wearing a swimsuit more often, hehe.”

“That’s like, the emptiest reason to be in a relationship.”

Fubuki’s smile began to fade to his last words and sighed, pausing when the waitress appeared with their plates of food. The plate had a fork and a knife; she put them aside before even touching the hamburger.

“I’m sorry, I thought you would like my proposition, it seems you’re simple-minded for a lot of things about women, but when it comes to relationships with someone you just put a wall. Pekora told us the first weeks of your friendship with her were some cold and awkward ones.

Is it because you hate us, right?”

“How did you reach that conclusion?”

“Well it's not like I’m a psychologist, but you’re clear as water, it seems that you’re avoiding all of us because you fear one of us may put you back where you started. And is awfully cruel you do something like that, none of us put you in that position, you left your ex sink you into being a prostitute, it was her fault and yours… Every time you act like that you end hurting a lot of us, so please, stop it.”

“… Understood, or, I don’t know what should I tell you right now, didn’t even expect you knew my ex was a VTuber, it wasn’t my intention, but I can’t deny that’s exactly how it looks.”

“As long as you understand.”

“Fubuki, you’re some weird girl, you keep throwing me trash but you want to date me regardless?”

“Yeah well, I’m a fox-girl, I’m weird by default, and I like weird guys like you.”

“Even if muscles aren’t your thing?”

“Sure, I mean, when we grow older I’ll be thankful for having a husband who can do the heavy work around the house.”

“Wait… your husband you said?”

“Ah… hehe, forget that part, c’mon, the food is getting cold, don’t mind me I take some of your hash browns.”

“Hey, I do! And the burned ones! Those are my favorites don’t take them!”

“Yummy!”

“Fubuki…”

After finishing with the hamburgers, they shared the bill and stepped out, but when Takumi thought it was going to be the end of another odd date, the girl snuggled on his arm one more time. A suggestion to a bar is made and agreed, not so far from the food street, on the upstairs of another restaurant, they spent the short evening drinking beer and whiskey and rum, chatting nonsense, complimenting the other, insulting the other. Their hands would reunite now and then, a couple of kisses between the two to interrupt in the awkward moments, a mix of fake and honest smiles, they decide to left once a group of people near them began to smoke.

“But we could’ve just smoked too.”

Takumi suggests bringing a package from his jacket. It was eleven of the night, and they were now walking on the almost deserted streets of the boulevard, the pavement illuminated with the artificial yellow lights, reflecting the shine from the tiny ponds of melted snow. The two were walking in the right middle of the street, without worrying for cars or people, they just kept walking and enjoying pitch black, silent night until the man invited her a cigarette, one she took with an awkward giggle.

“This feels as if you were the devil inviting me to step into hell.”

“You can’t put the blame on me; I didn’t introduce you to smoking.”

“… Then why does it feel you’re making me into a bad girl?”

“Because you like that idea.”

The girl gave him a sarcastic look from that answer, but couldn’t deny him and blushed instead. Fubuki took on the cigarette and placed in on her mouth, Takumi brought a lighter from the same pocket and ignited the tip of his cigarette, then arched his back to meet with the one of the girl, helping to lit hers.

“How cool… I’ve always wanted to try this… your face is so close though.”

“Do you know how this is called? It has an awful name.”

“Then I don’t want to hear it right now.”

They breathed smoke into the other, gently holding onto each other faces with the tips of their fingers, and shared a couple of kisses, intense kisses, pressing on each other lips. Fubuki looked at him with narrowed eyes, caressing his hair with her free hand, they continued walking. It was yet another of their silent moments, another of those moments of quietness they both were satisfied with, the man brought his phone and put on the camera, holding it horizontally with both hands, pointing at Fubuki as she smokes, taking pictures of her.

“Hey… knock it off hehehe, what I’m going to do if those pictures end on the Internet.”

“I want to save this moment, you look really attractive when you smoke; you do it with elegance.”

“God, why you… if you say stuff like that I won’t ever quit smoking, smoking is bad for our health you know? You shouldn’t romanticize it.”

“Why is it my fault? You’re the one whose gestures look so stunning… like you are doing art by smoking.”

“Stop it, I’m, stop saying those things, the alcohol got in your brain already didn’t it? Stop saying sweet nothings about something that may kill us one day.”

“Is funny how you keep trying to retort… yet you keep smoking, posing for me.”

“Because is cold and, I’m a little drunk just like you, don’t play dumb, you’re doing it on purpose, trying to make me feel good while smoking…”

“Well, is it working?”

“I… it makes me want to smoke more, but, only if it’s with you.”

She leaped to him and stole his phone, turning the camera at the man.

“Now’s your turn! Please be attractive to me.”

“Huh, roger that.”

Wandering into the streets slowly took the couple up to Takumi’s apartment, where once the door was closed; they began to kiss with desperate passion. Moving their hands through the shoulders of the other to take off their jackets, they repeated the same gestures with the scarves, always kissing, sharing the taste of tobacco and liquor, Takumi pushed her against the wall and held her from behind her neck, giving Fubuki a deep and long kiss, she softly smacked his chest asking for a pause.

“Wait, wait, give a second, I’ll go to your bathroom to change into my swimsuit… ah hell, hehehe, what am I even saying? This is your fault for getting me horny, anyway, let me change.”

But Takumi took her by the wrist when she tried to walk away, pulled her close and kissed her again, slowly, biting on her lips with his, Fubuki slightly moaning and melting over him, they still haven’t walked past the receiver.

“Ah… Your lips are so… but if you don’t let me go you won’t have swimsuit-sex again.”

“I don’t need it tonight, I changed my mind, I want you naked, I want to make love to you.”

“Ta… kumi? Did, did you hear what you said just now?”

“Yes.”

“You… you didn’t ask to have sex, you, you asked to…”

“Are you scared?”

“… I am.”

“Don’t you want it?”

“… I do.”

He kissed her again, and she surrounded his neck with her arms, clinging on the man, rubbing on his lips, they were fascinated with kissing the other, none of them looking to use their tongues; just kissing was enough. Takumi took her to his room, and Fubuki sat on the edge of his bedroom looking at him awkwardly, fixed on the way he took off his sweater and his shirt, she wasn’t laughing at him, nor she was ashamed of it, she was observing him with detail, as he took off his shoes, as he removed his belt, as he pulled down his pants and his underwear. Walking in front of the girl, kissing her again while holding onto her face with the right, Fubuki replied shyly, Takumi started to undress her and she helped him in the way, another of their silent moments, another of their satisfying moments. He brought the naked girl to the middle of the bed, and while caressing her face with a finger Takumi kissed her again, he kissed her lips and cheek, he kissed her forehead, and kissed her neck, he kissed behind her neck and in the base, he kissed all the way to her shoulder, making her gasp, making her moan, making her smile, an honest smile. He caressed her hair between his fingers, he kissed on the middle of her chest, he kissed his way down and kissed her breasts, making her back arch by reflex, making her whimper and gasp in excitement, as Fubuki held onto his head with both hands, as she caressed and played with his scalp, the man continued his way down. He kissed her abdomen, he kissed her navel, he rubbed his lips all over her skin, he kissed her on the right side of her hips, and continued his way down to her waist, he kissed her on the pelvis, he used his hands to caress her sides, her ribs, her buttocks and then her thighs, he looked to kiss her in her warmest part, and she pulled on his hair by reflex, surprised, startled, panting as if she had suddenly run a marathon, it was only the first kiss on that place, he gave a second, he gave a third, first he was soft, and started adding pressure, being rough to her labia, pressing his lips against her clit.

_“To think you, hah, said you had never seen me with those eyes, then how do you explain this situation?”_

It was a thought she voiced with hastiness, with haughty, with a tone filled with animosity and pleasure, claiming victory over him. Standing on all fours over his bed, Takumi was slowly pounding her from behind, strong thrusts of his libido inside of her. She was gripping the blankets of the bed until Takumi put his hands over hers, then she gripped his fingers between her knuckles. He kissed her on the small holes made below her back, he made his way up her back by kissing over her spine, over and over, he kissed her behind the neck, on the cheek; then they shared a kiss on the lips, never stopping on his rhythmical thrusts, never stopping to rub his lips over her skin until he got fixed to look her on the eyes, while she released a series of acute whimpers, short musical moans.

“W-what… what is it… am I making a gross face again right?”

“No, not at all… God… you’re looking quite elegantly now… as if you were smoking…”

“R-Really, I am? I’m not looking gross?”

“You’re acting so different from before…”

Fubuki interrupted him with a kiss; then separated from him, slowly pulling away and lying on the bed facing him. Their hands reunited once again and kissed once more, one and two, he bit on her upper lip and lower lip with special attention, gently, with pressure, renewing his movement from below, shaking his hips in and out as if he were dancing. Making her smile from ear to ear, a lustful and truthful smile, she was nibbling on his ear as he buried his face on her neck, one kissing the other, eating the other through kisses, their hands never separating.

“Because it feels so different from before… It feels like… it feels as if I’ve been doing this wrong for a long time… and you’re so overwhelming, you’re so strong, and yet so gentle… this is so much better from what we did before, I want to do it always like this, I want you to do me always like this…”

“Is because… we are making love, Fubuki.”

“Is it really, uhm… this much of a difference?”

“Yes, after all, I can’t take my eyes off you now.”

“…Hehehe… silly.”

“I will do it always like this if it’s for you.”

“Really… do you promise…?”

“I promise.”

“A _real_ promise?”

“… I promise…

But I don’t want that friendly enmity thing anymore.

I want you, I want to be your friend, I want to be your lover; I want to be your partner, Fubuki.”

“Is, that so…? What made you change your mind?”

“You.”

“… Why is that… you are so good when it comes to whispering sweet nothings?”

They kissed again, they kissed all night, taking the other, receiving the other; they kissed until they fell asleep. And the morning after, they slowly wake up, feeling the dry sweat and the other liquids stick on their skin, the slight hangover of last night, the warmth of the blankets and the gentle cold from outside, the looks the other gave them, right beside on the same bed. Fubuki crawled over his chest and kissed him on it, kissed him on the neck, kissed him on the cheek, their lips reunited for a glimpse, and then she nibbled on his nose, making him scream in surprise.

“What was that for?!”

“What was that for you say? Isn’t it obvious, that was for soothing me with alcohol to take me to your bed, and to spend the entire night playing with my heart with all those things you said.”

“But… I meant all of that…”

She kissed him on the lips, he kissed her back; they embraced the other with their arms and continued kissing.

“I know you meant it… and I think you’re right, is about time to drop our friendly enmity.

After all, I think I’m falling for you, but I was so self-aware of the other people interested in you, I couldn’t bring myself to chase you, and I didn’t want you to chase me either.”

“But now, here you have me, on your hands, did you enjoy being selfish?”

“Yes hehehe, I caught you on my first try…

I love you, Takumi, do you want to share a cigarette?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Would it be wrong to finish this work by saying "Congrats on 1M subs Fubuki!"? I was going to release this Chapter later, but I also wanted to show my appreciation for her, despite it was by writing porn, that was a well-deserved merit she obtained, she's an incredible person)
> 
> I have some announcements to make:
> 
> 1) With this I've reached half of the happy endings I wanted to create. As I'm probably just going to write one or two more before the year ends, I can announce the other six are going to be for: Siro, Mio, (Himemori) Luna, Korone, Rushia and Marine (Not in that order). For the current moment, I don't have any other "Happy Ending" in mind for other characters that appeared on the second part (Nor people who didn't appear in this story at all), you are free to make suggestions, but I can't promise I will do it. I've had a lot of fun with this last part of the series, and thanks to all your support, even if silent, this work has been one of the shortest I've done with the biggest amount of kudos in the shortest amount of time, thank you! But, and if you can excuse my selfishness, I honestly would like more feedback, more comments, more interactions, after all, I have started in the world of writing erotica in AO3, in the hopes to create a fanbase, so far as now that hasn't happened yet, and it worries my future as a published author to start without being known. 
> 
> 2) Soon I will start on an original VTuber project on my own, my VTuber persona, which will start with a Twitter account, probably this same weekend. His name is Uchuu Sento, an alien who is a writer and a civil servant, further details will be done after his Twitter account release. I will use this same profile in AO3 to start writing a series of what would be his "deep lore", a story narrated in first person explaining the reasons as of why he came to Earth. And I need to stress, since this is going to be an *original* project, for an actual VTuber, nothing about him will have to do with any of the SVTN works. You are free to chose if you want to support me, check this next Sunday for @/UchuuSento on Twitter!


	7. A Fantasy (Korone's Happy Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder that I have started on my own VTuber project which is also the seventh part of the VTuber World series! Please support me!

When the last days of November knock on the door with an unbearable breeze, a portable heater can be the most expensive option for the power bills, but the most efficient. With its loud industrial buzz coming from the metallic mesh of such a small gadget, the living room space of a certain apartment acclimatizes, fighting to warmth the person wrapped with a thick blanket on the sofa. 

Coming from a room deep on the hallway inside, a sleepy cat-girl on a lousy pajama, with bed-head and a hunched back drags her feet into the living room. Silently examining from the distance the bump of cloth expand and shrink by the peaceful breaths of someone sleeping inside. Turning to the heater, she kneels and loudly yawns, and when she stretches her right arm at the gadget and almost burns her fingertips by deviating on a swing of dizziness, Okayu pulls on her cheeks and finally opens her eyes completely, increasing the power of the heater, standing up again, and abruptly sitting over the free space of cushion, at the edge of the sofa, the person inside the blanket shaking in awakening surprise.

“Woops, did I scare you? Sorry there… haaw… you said you wanted us to wake you up before seven today, why were you sleeping with the heater at a low temperature? Aren’t you cold?” With a low-pitched and almost quiet voice, Okayu greets the person on the sofa, with a smug smile she started to pull on the blanket with all her little strength, enveloping her body with the cloth and staring at Takumi who was still waking up regardless of the early shock. “Good morning dear,” She whispers with happiness in her voice, lying down on the sofa and trying to fit in the little space left behind with the man like a piece of Lego locking with the other.

“Good morning… I’m surprised you remembered, thank you,” Takumi whispers back, sharing a small kiss with the girl and receiving her in his arms. Clumsy embracing the other, caressing each other’s backs and arms by rubbing their fingertips over the skin, “I had the temperature set on eighteen grades but… I felt anxious because this isn’t my place.”

“Hehe silly, that’s not true, now this place is also your place, just like I need to think about it as my place too,” She replies while scrubbing her body against the man, rubbing her head all over his chest, “You’re so warm, I wish you had slept with me, let’s stay like this until it gets warmer outside, pretty please?”

“Can’t do, I’d love to but I can’t, the school changed the schedule for winter and the kids I give classes to are now coming at eight o’clock, they’re learning a Christmas song and they’re all excited for it,” Takumi explains, yawning and kissing her forehead, trying to pull away from the grip of the cat-girl and slowly sitting over the sofa, but Okayu just slips through his abdomen and falls over his lap. “Also I was afraid of snoring while Korone was working; I came here because I didn’t want to screw up.”

“C’mon… just thirty more minutes, you’re such a worrywart, the kids will be late with the front cold of this morning, and Korone is still on her thing, let me smell you thirty more minutes…”

“You get so adorable and clingy when you’re half asleep crap, but I have to go, and is my time to make breakfast, think about a warm meal, think about the kids.”

“Oh I do think about kids… sometimes… hehe.”

“That’s… you sure have one way to drop some major themes.”

“Did it scare you?”

“Not so much but, if you think about the whole thing going on between us right now, it scares me a little.”

“Ah…”

The cat-girl suddenly changed her mood, slowly getting up from his lap, looking down bittersweet.

“I guess our situation makes everything even more complicated.”

Takumi didn’t reply but kissed her forehead again, which the girl reacted by reflex with her arms clinging over his shoulders, they shared a couple of kisses and decided to get off the sofa together. After getting refreshed in the bathroom, they both went into the kitchen and started making breakfast, although the girl was more focused on getting bits of food to eat from whatever the man was chopping, she helped as much as possible, shortening the time of preparation.

With a couple of pots over the stove gradually boiling vegetables and heating up a frozen soup. Takumi opened the faucet of the sink to wash the rice while Okayu walked back to the living room and split open the curtains of the windows and switching on the small TV set in a corner for the morning news.

A third person appeared from the hallway with a face filled with exhaustion. Scratching her head and yawning with a loud an acute screech and sticking out her tongue, it was Korone.

“Good morning guys,” The dog mourns and forces a smile.

“Tetaho!” Okayu and Takumi shout back in unison, making Korone snort out of guard.

“Don’t do that geez!” She yelled at them, running to the living room and leaning all her weight over Okayu, who stutters in surprise trying to catch the girl.

“You’re the one who greeted us still in working mode, you silly,” The cat chuckles slowly petting her head. “Good work again today,” She gave her a beak kiss.

“Aw your lips are cold and taste like mint, did you brush your teeth already?” Korone pouts with a childish tone, kissing her back.

“Yup, and you won’t be getting warm kisses from Takumi either,” Okayu replied and held on her face with both hands, gently squeezing Korone’s cheeks, “Wanna join us for breakfast before you head to sleep?”

“Uhm, depends, who is cooking today?”

“Erhm? Takumi, why you ask?”

“Takumi’s breakfasts are better than yours.”

“Oi.”

The dog meets the man in the kitchen and gave him a small kiss over the lips. Forty minutes later, they sat over the kotatsu in the living room and had breakfast together, calmly, quietly, just like any other day since the three started living together. Turning their heads now and then to the TV when something calls on their attention, you could only hear the buzz of the heater, the clink of the chopsticks, a couple of yawns, and maybe a burp. Once they were done eating, the girls quickly picked up the plates and pushed them together to Takumi’s side, who groans looking at their prickly smiles yet doesn’t voice a complaint, the man just nods and picks on the plates, carrying them to the sink to wash them.

“What are you guys going to do today?” Korone questions the two, after breakfast both the cat and the man had gotten ready to step out of the apartment’s girl. She was accompanying them on the receiver as they were wearing their shoes, jackets, and scarves. 

“After classes, I have a meeting with the rest of the teachers of the school for the activities we are holding this Christmas, then I’m going with the realtor we met in the city, he’s going to show me a couple of apartments fit for what we need,” Takumi explains while looking up the ceiling, using little strength to speak, almost babbling. “I may spend the night at my place tonight; I’ll see you girls tomorrow or the day after I guess.”

“I’m going to make some shopping to make food and stop at Takumi’s thingy at noon to give him his lunchbox, then I have like, three streams? I'm too going to sleep at my place tonight,” Okayu follows as soon as the other finishes explaining, giving a tight hug to the dog and sharing a kiss.

“Well then…” Korone meditates with a smile, tightly hugging back the girl and giving her a kiss on each cheek, then dashing towards the man and clinging on him to do the same, “Something for you both to remember me, hehe.”

As Korone took a couple of steps back with a giggle when the other two started walking to the door, Okayu stopped with her hand holding on the doorknob. An awkward and long minute elapses before the dog-girl and the man finally understand she’s not making a random and sudden joke nor a tease, Okayu is just frozen on the door, with a fixed expression. They try to talk to her, to shake her off from whatever was going through her mind, but she kept frozen. When the girl finally opened her mouth, she inhaled, and it sounded as if her throat had gotten dry, as if she hadn’t breathed for the three entire minutes she stood stuck on the knob, her voice was hoarse and filled with fear.

_“We… We aren’t doing anything wrong… right?”_

The question created just more silence, another minute of silence. Korone then jumped against the girl surrounding her with her arms, as tight as possible, as if Okayu would run away if Korone didn’t hold her in a grip, she rested her head against her back, then looked at Takumi, who joined in the hug, overwhelming the cat in space and weight, struggling to properly wrap the girl with Korone in the middle, they end falling over the floor of the receiver, with a little chuckle.

“These days I’ve been really happy, I wouldn’t change this for anything, I don’t think is wrong,” Korone speaks with a soft tone, kissing the cheek of the girl. “I never thought something like this would be possible, but now that we have it, it feels amazing, I don’t want to let it go.”

“I don’t think is wrong either, it feels like we are now one big family,” Takumi says next, caressing her head, “I’m already yearning to see your face this noon and taste your cooking, I’m also yearning to see both of you again tomorrow.”

They softened their hug around the girl and kissed her cheeks from each side, standing up again, this time, they get out of the apartment.

The day progresses like following a script. The man and Okayu had taken the bus together, yet the cat-girl dropped off at an early stop, giving him a quick beak before leaving while Takumi stayed as the vehicle drove inside the city. At noon they met each other again, she was waiting for him in the reception office from the small music school placed in a building. He took her to the teacher’s lounge and had lunch together; she was hiding her ears from the people coming in and out of the lounge with a fleece hat. She apologized for what happened in the morning once they finished eating, but Takumi just kissed over her forehead like usual.

“You’re not the only one scared, but we all want for this to happen, we just have to continue doing our best,” He said with a gentle smile.

Waving goodbye at the ground floor, Takumi slightly gets to hear Korone’s acute screech, scolding Okayu with a phone call for not lunching together with her. He tried to join her and take the phone to talk with the dog, but suddenly he too was getting a ringing buzz on his phone of someone calling for attention.

In the evening when he had finished scouting apartments with the realtor, Takumi made a detour from the city and walked inside a bar. Being barely seven of the night, the place was almost deserted, just a small girl with a fancy dress and long pale blue-hair braided into one long ponytail was waving at him with a small hand gesture, smiling. He sat to her side and ordered a beer, brought a paper package from his jacket, and pulled a cigarette from it after tapping it a couple of times from the bottom, lightning it with a cheap zippo. Sharing drinks and getting at day with each other, Takumi chooses to suddenly drop on the bunny-girl everything which has happened in his life after some months of living together with another two people.

“Wait… so, Korone… and Okayu… and you? What… can you explain that again?” Pekora was dumbfounded by the information given. “Wait, no, even before it peko, are you serious now?!” She leveled the volume of her voice scaring a couple of other customers, smacking his side with her elbow, “These months I’ve been asking you _‘what’s new peko?’_ And you were like _‘nothing new’_ , why were you hiding something like that from me?!”

“Ouchie… isn’t it obvious? Because we are three people Pekora, three…” He sighs and massages his head; the bunny took a sip of beer from her glass.

“You say that but, I bet you still haven’t told any of them you smoke, right peko? That’s only something you’ve told to me, and it took you a lot peko, so I thought you would share more important things too… I guess I was wrong.”

“Is not like I didn’t want to tell you, I wanted to, but what I was trying to say is… we are all now three, so is not only saying something that’s private of me, but private of them too, and they’re your friends too, I didn’t know how to explain it properly.”

“Oh Takumi, you’re always so good-hearted peko, but if we are going, to be honest, I’m only scolding you for taking so long, because Korone and Okayu confessed it to the group some weeks ago already peko.”

“And they didn’t tell me…”

“Well, is not like you hang with all of us peko, am I wrong? But they had been acting suspicious for some long months, and we were starting to worry something bad had peko happened to them, that’s why they peko decided to tell us peko.”

“So, what do you think about it?”

“What do I think? Takumi… you shouldn’t ask me something like that peko, if I were Choco, I would have smeared at you five times already.”

“Yikes, so you won’t give me your opinion all because of education, but if you were to do it, you would tell me what we’re doing is wrong?”

“… Something along those lines, sorry.”

“I see…”

“Takumi you know I love you peko, you’re a good friend, if you think this makes you happy, then I will support you, no matter what I think.”

“Wouldn’t that be hypocrite of you?”

“Uhm no? If you think this is what you want peko, if you _truly_ think it, if you all three think this will make all of you happy, then that will convince my own peko feelings, I’ll support you believing in your decision.”

“What would I do without you… you’re such an amazing person.”

“Hehe! You can praise me even more peko!

But! I think you should explain to them your smoking habits soon peko, even if you peko do it sporadically, maybe living with two people would help you stop smoking entirely.”

“Alright, I’ll take your advice on that, but there’s something else I’d like to know if you’re willing to tell me.”

“Yes peko?”

“What did everyone said to Korone and Okayu when they told them about our relationship?”

“Oh that, well peko… the rest wasn’t as merciful as me, and, some opinions were kinda hurtful.”

“No wonder why Okayu has been acting weird…”

They kept talking for another hour, then split the bill of the bar when leaving. Pekora was escorted by Takumi up to the train station, shared a short hug in front of the ticket-pass barrier, and said goodbye. 

Two days later on the early morning of a Wednesday, Korone had stopped at the house of the man. “G’Morning silly-head, sorry if I woke you up, is just that I left a couple of things at your place and I need them,” She explained with an unexpectedly mature voice while coming inside his apartment and taking off her shoes when speaking up to the man still on his pajamas. Takumi leans on her and moves his hands inside her shirt once she takes off her jacket, caressing her stomach and giving her tickles, making the dog-girl spark in a peal of laughter, “Noooo! Don’t do that oh my God your hands are cold!” She screeched with a red face, but stopped on her struggle to pull away from his arms when Takumi’s hands went from her stomach up to her breasts, “Wai… T-Takumi, really? At this hour?” His hands were talking for him, gently holding her chest and kissing her neck, “Geez… Takumi…” She made a half-excited, half-reluctant complaint, accepting the abrupt and sudden foreplay with narrowed eyes, taking a deep breath which loosens her body. The girl jumped on his arms with an acute and excited shout of energy, laughing when he caught her and carried her inside like a bride crossing the threshold. He opened the knob of his room with dexterity and slammed it close with his right talon, throwing the girl over his bed, who bounced while laughing and stretched her arms welcoming Takumi with a horny smile; Korone gave him a deep kiss and both started undressing.

“Wow, I have to admit, it always feels kind of scary when you’re so sudden, but at the end you make me feel so happy, I know it sounds nasty, but never stop being this way,” The girl giggled with a naughty complacency, she was lying to his side by using his left arm as a pillow, gently caressing his chest with the back of her hand. Both of them were looking at the ceiling in a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction, sweat drops on their faces and bodies, Korone locking her feet with him under the sheets.

“Though is not my intention to scare you, I just felt in the mood, and I missed you a little,” Takumi explains surrounding her neck with his arm, pulling her closer.

“And that’s why I call you silly-head, we just had a couple of days without seeing the other,” She replied, fixing her head on the improvised arm-pillow with a smile.

“But we hadn’t had sex in like four days.”

“You count the days oh my God; when you talk that way it makes me think you’re a sexaholic. Haven’t you been with Okayu this week?”

“Okayu… well, she has actually calmed down, a lot, since we started being three, she’s not as vicious as before, and I think is because of you.”

“Me? Are you going to blame me for Okayu not being a cat on heat anymore?”

“I’m not blaming you, and I’m not going to call Okayu something like that, just like I won’t call you… well, that. But what I’m trying to say is, even though having so much sex with her was great, it feels like since you’re here, she has been more satisfied than ever, and that has reduced her sex drive, not that I mind, but it kind of makes me jealous.”

“Silly-head, there’s no need to be jealous, just let me love you as much as I love her. Hehehe. And you know? I wouldn’t mind if you ever use the _‘b’_ word with me, I would’ve gotten angry before _this_ , but now I trust you enough to let you use that word, especially in bed, it’ll probably make me feel… good.”

“Korone…”

“Yes, silly-head?”

“We aren’t doing anything wrong, are we?”

The girl shouts an acute –Huh?! – when hearing the question, flipping her naked body on the blankets with violence, looking at him with a serious gaze and frowning, quickly crawling up to him and squishing his cheeks.

“Why you too have to make that question?”

Takumi held onto her wrists and slowly pulled her hands away, sighing.

“Pekora told me you girls told the group about us, and, that they not only didn’t support you girls’ confession, they also were against this.”

“Ah, gosh we should’ve told Pekora to don’t tell you about that.”

“That’s why Okayu was acting weird the other day right?”

“Yup but… Takumi, I’m sorry we didn’t tell you we did something like that, but that’s our problem now, is not like we’re on bad terms with our friends, we’ll solve it little by little.”

“Korone, we aren’t doing anything wrong, right?”

“Takumi...”

“Okayu suggested that she has been thinking about having kids one day.”

“Really!?”

“But, how are we supposed to raise a child between the three of us? What are we supposed to tell our daughter or son when they grow up? Have you thought about that?”

“No, I haven’t…”

“And you, I know what you want because we’ve talked about it often, you want us three to marry, but Japan doesn’t allow something like that. Have you ever looked where in this world they’ll acknowledge our relationship and legally marry us?”

“…”

The girl meditated on the problems he put on the table, unable to voice an answer quick enough, with a quizzical look on her face, she just gives up, making a loud pout and hiding her face over his chest. Slowly, unexpectedly for the man, he started to feel some strange warmth coming from Korone’s face, a teardrop falling from his chest under his armpit, hearing the small whimpers of the sobbing girl, who gripped her hands on his shoulders. With a trembling lower lip, of guiltiness and sadness, Takumi caressed her back, trying to pacify her.

“We can think about all those things later!” She finally replied, her scream being muffled by her hair and from pressing her face over his chest, “I know we should’ve thought about all that more seriously, but we’ll do it later! One day at a time!” She kept screaming, shaking her legs and furiously kicking the bed, “I don’t want to be away from you! I don’t want to be away from Okayu!”

Takumi attempted to answer, but he coughed in frustration as his desire to cry mixed on his speech when trying to speak, he groaned and hold on to the dog-girl tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t want to make you cry! I love you and Okayu, I don’t want to lose any of you!”

“Then why did you have to ask all those things?! It felt like you were trying to hurt me!”

“I’m sorry Korone! I won’t do it again, I don’t want to hurt you; I love you!”

Finally raising her head from his chest, she crawled to meet with him. Her face was a mess of tears and a little snot.

“Then act like that! Please… Takumi, we need you to be the strong one…”

Korone started on a second bawl, her tears flowing from side to side.

“Being happy is easy, but sometimes Okayu and I feel we’re just messing around, that we aren’t, taking this seriously… but… but when you’re with us when you make us smile when you make us feel loved, then is when we feel this is real and that we’re not pretending.

I know I’m asking for a lot, but we’ll be strong if you are, we can think about marrying and having kids after we retire and that won’t happen soon… I don’t know, maybe in two or three years, in the meanwhile, let’s give it our all, because, I love Okayu and, I love you… Takumi.”

“Korone, I love you, I love you too.”

They cried together for several minutes, wrapping the other, caressing the other, until they had both calmed down. Later that noon, they promised to don’t tell Okayu what had happened. Korone at the same time promised to take care of conversate with the cat about marrying and having kids, and what they should do to slowly begin to deepen themselves into these themes. Meanwhile, Takumi promised to Korone to continue being their moral support, to strengthen his conviction and remove his doubts, finally in the evening, they said goodbye to the other with a kiss.

The transition of their days continued with a renewed spirit, each one doing their best for the other two, for their own reasons. Since the three choose to be together in a relationship, they kept a routine of taking turns to prepare food for the other and sleep on each other houses, although most chances they would have to do things on their own, they would advantage of every little chance to spend their time together as a trio in a relationship. 

It was yet again, time for the man to stand for the other two. After another couple of meetings with the realtor, he had finally found an apartment big enough in the city for the three of them, and just enough for them to pay the rent and the advance. Then in the middle of December, when the cold was growing impossible to face, against all normal procedures, they had a delivery truck to drive them up to their new place.

Takumi, together with the old man who drove the truck, another man employee of the moving, and the girls, took their boxes up the fifth floor of the building where their apartment was. The old-man, owner of the delivery services, was an old acquaintance of the young one, who worked for him now and then as a part-timer. The moving took only a couple of trips, yet the handful of total boxes from the three was almost half of a hundred, including the bed frames and mattresses and other home appliances they had to bring as their place wasn’t properly furnished.

Once the old man and his assistant were paid and bid farewell, the first thing the girls did was to check the home phone and order pizza. Lecturing and scolding them both with a motherly speech, Takumi handed them a broom and a mop and told them to start cleaning the floors as he started to install the beds on the rooms. “No more taking turns, if the three of us work together, then everything will be done in a jiffy,” He explained by faking a grunt of exasperation while fitting pieces of the wood frames together and carrying them to one room inside the hallway.

By the time the pizza delivery guy had appeared on the door, Okayu was the one who received and paid for the multiple hot pippin’ boxes they ordered, but she just like the other two, was no longer interested in eating. She put the boxes on the kitchen table and resumed her cleaning activities, putting on a couple of gloves and going into the bathroom to clean it, Korone installing the curtains around every window of the house to eliminate the echoes, and Takumi continued unpacking boxes and fixing their furniture into place. 

They changed positions like a relay race, as the rest of the furniture was the girls PC and gaming stations, which cabling and setting they knew from memory but him. Using an entire room to turn it into their own workplace, Korone and Okayu quickly helped the other with the power outlets and extensions, Takumi finishing on the cleaning and placing his and their clothes in place by sharing the closet and hairdressers. 

The morning, the afternoon, and the evening, all have passed by when they were done, the pizza was dead cold, but they couldn’t care less. They stared with satisfaction at the tidy-clean, new, and personalized living room, where all of their things fit into perfection, harmonizing. Korone went out to buy beers, then came back on the verge of tears, making a childish tantrum as she didn’t notice the strong stench of chemicals plus her sweaty face, the entire messy attire in which she got out, far from making Okayu and Takumi comfort her, rather, they picked on her for not noticing early. 

Sitting on the Kotatsu of their new living room, watching the snowfall from the windows, without switching on their TV, they silently had their cold dinner joined of beers. There was nothing left on them besides happiness and exhaustion after successfully completing their move. In the middle of their dinner, Okayu got up from her side of the kotatsu and sat together with Korone, leaning on her on a sprout of clinginess and tiredness, or so the dog and the man were thinking, when suddenly she stopped eating and gave Korone a kiss, leaning her weight on the girl, calmly and gradually, the man looked at them hiding his fluster with the can of beer over his face, as the two looked as if they had forgotten about him, lying on the floor, hugging and kissing the other. Both of them with closed eyes, reuniting their hands and softly holding the other, kissing in the slowest, possible way, making small –click – and –slurp – noises with their mouths, as their lips and tongues met. Korone’s hands moved to caress and play with Okayu’s hair in dear attention, Okayu replied to her loving gesture by doing the same with her face, they had continued with their session of kisses for a longer time if it weren’t because Takumi took them by the neck of their shirts and pulled them out of the kotatsu, “You’re not only leaving me aside, you’ll also get a cold, go take a shower before you both fall asleep!” He scolded them with jealousy and red cheeks, the girls laughed at him, nodded to his instructions, and gave him a kiss on each cheek before marching together into the bathroom.

_“No, wait! Not like this!”_

Swaying between drunk and sober Korone shouts, she was sitting on her knees over the bed, wearing nothing but her bottom underwear. With her hands on her waist, she had a pretentious look and a playful smile, the girl was on a king-size bed with the other two, who were looking back at her uncomfortable, they two, despite the cold, were only using their underwear. “I can’t sleep on the corner! I use the toilet at night, let’s change again, Takumi you go to the corner!”

“Korone, let’s sleep already…” Okayu pouts with a moanful voice.

“This is the last time I change positions ok? I don’t want to hear complaints in the middle of the night,” Takumi added switching his place with the cat, the two had left space for Korone to sleep in the middle, she dove in the space with a childish jump, “You know, we brought two beds for his kind of thing, I can go sleep on the other and give you girls a time together tonight.”

“Na’ah, this is our first night together in our home, we need to sleep together, tightly togethery!” Korone insists while handcuffing Okayu and Takumi by the arms with hers, “Just think about it you guys… this is the first of many incoming nights, in a relationship…”

Her melodious commentary hit right through them and made them sketch silent smiles, dropping on their complaints they close their eyes, at last, ready to sleep. But the slumber didn’t hold past an hour on the night, as a nail began to poke on Takumi’s forehead, scratching it, with closed eyes he grabbed the responsible with his left hand and started to wake up, expecting to be Korone’s hand, or a foot from any of the two, self-aware of the sleep practices from the girls. Okayu gestured his silence with her free hand and the man released her with a swing of his head, the cat now pointed down, Korone had sunk between them with her feet peeking from out the blankets, she was awake, and crying, the other two quietly crawled to meet with her. Being surrounded by their wide-awake eyes, Korone’s cheek gleamed with red, embarrassed of being found crying by them, with high pitched whimpers she did her best to calm down and wipe her tears.

“I’m sorry… I didn’t mind to wake up any of you, I just…

For some reason, as I was trying to sleep, I started to think about everything. About what everyone thinks about what we’re doing, about our doubts, about our lives, about what are we going to do on the days, the months, and the years after tonight… I began to think about all of those things and, my heart began to feel so heavy, and suddenly I just, uh...

We aren’t… doing anything wrong, are we?”

_“No!”_

Korone shouts in surprise for their immediate reply, almost jumping out of the bed from their combined and firm answer. Looking at each one over and over and their serious faces, their faces filled with decision, huffing and desperately cleaning her face, she looked for the strength to speak out of that confusing moment, “No…? Are you sure about it? I thought… I thought you two had doubts about it,” She questioned them with a hiccup and a trembling body, then she got kissed over the forehead by Okayu, and on the right cheek by Takumi, they caressed her face and her shoulders, her hair and her arms, as Korone was calming down on her bawling, she got kissed again by them, “Hehe… c’mon, I’m serious here, can you give me a proper reply of how you guys feel?” She asks for a second time with a ticklish, but sad giggle as they continue bombarding her with kisses, Okayu gently wrapped her left arm around her naked abdomen, Takumi took her right wrist and hand, interlacing fingers, the cat kissed her neck, the man kissed her shoulder. “You… hey, this isn’t time for…” She stuttered in her try to stop them, feeling Okayu’s warm tongue licking up from her neck to her chin, then nabbing a kiss from her lips, “O… Okayu… calm down, is starting to feel good so calm down,” Her voice was shaky again, but this time it wasn’t because of sadness, Takumi toured from the lines of her shoulder to the middle of her chest, traveling with his lips down to her breasts, “Ah… why all of a sudden are you two doing this? If, if you don’t explain it to me, you, you better stop.” This time they pay attention to her words and pull their breaks on their erotic mannerism, looking at Korone with a smile.

“This is our way to say the doubts you… No, the doubts _we_ are all feeling are nothing compared to what we are now, Korone, instead of letting your heart sink on those thoughts…” Okayu says with her usual soft tone, playing with her hair and kissing her once again over the lips, “Instead, just remember how happy it makes all of us be together.”

“Is this really… the way to do something like that?” Korone wonders still with doubt, but Okayu just renewed on kissing her on the lips, and Takumi went back to put attention on her breasts. Minute by minute the reluctance of the girl fade away, feeling Okayu’s breasts rub against her as they kiss, holding Takumi’s head with her free hand as he was eating her out below the waist.

The dog-girl pushed Okayu away from her face while panting. Their mouths were a mess of saliva, then she whispered something into her ear, to which the cat reacts by giving her a giggle and moving down with Takumi, tapping over his head with her fingers, “I just got told that you’re eating the wrong girl, so we are going to change… take that!” She laughed with nastiness while pushing him from Korone’s crotch, making Takumi lie on the bed in confusion. Okayu crawled in all fours up to his neck, then slowly stretched her right leg over his head and sat over his mouth with delicacy, she ruffled his hair with another nasty laugh and looked back, “Is this… hah gosh this position… what you meant? This way none of us can look at you…” She asks while panting in excitement as Takumi caressed her thighs, following the mood of the situation and introducing his tongue inside of her.

“Uhm… This is, good, but please, promise you won’t turn around, more like; you’re turning around just now! Please, don’t look at me Okayu…” She fidgets with completely red, slowly climbing over Takumi’s abdomen, copying Okayu’s leg movements, facing the other way, her respiration increasing hasty and nervous.

“I get it I get it, just have fun with him, I won’t look at you,” Okayu replies playfully, going back to stare at the way Takumi was devouring her below, messing with his hair between her fingers, “You see, Korone said that she wanted to get wild on you, but she doesn’t want any of us to look at her being that way, so hold on tight ok? Focus on me, and let her have fun with your big thing,” She giggled at the end and squirmed happily when the man replied by pressing a thumb on her clit, “Ah… when was the last time you did an oral to me…? I forgot how good it feels, we should do it more often… hah… but,” Her hands tightened the grip on his scalp all of a sudden, letting her weight accent over his mouth, Okayu moved her hips back and forth, scrubbing her crotch against his lips, “I too want to go wild you know? It has been a while after all, uhm… push your tongue deeper, I promise you we’ll reward you for letting us take control later, right Korone?”

The girl on the other side gave a muted nod forgetting Okayu couldn’t see her gestures; Korone was slowly trying to fit Takumi’s dick inside of her, gradually sitting over it, snarling on the pleasure, frowning, “Ah… I promise we’ll… do one of those thing men love so much… crap I’m getting so excited I can’t think… anyway, it’ll be anything you want so, please be good with us…” At the end of her sentence, she leaned on his knees with both hands and held onto them, then rhythmically began to hop over his waist. Producing short and small shouts whenever she reached a sweet spot, the shaking of her body decreasing the faster her movements, her waist, and legs combining in a series of erotic jumps, her strength focusing each minute more on the lower half, “Hah… Ah, Takumi I love you! AH! It feels so good! I love you so much! Takumi! Takumi!” She cried losing all her restraintment, leaning further on his legs to use all her force on her thrusts, making loud and obscene slapping sounds, making Takumi’s entire body bounce on the bed from the strength she was using.

“Hah… Hahaha… What the heck, her voice is so amazing, I think I’m losing it too Takumi, could you give me your hands?” Okayu request to him, biting her lower lip, she held his hands and rammed her crotch against his face with fury, “I’m… not sorry… her voice is making me crazy… Takumi… I love you too… I love you, I love you…!” She joined on the girly and shameless screams of lust, tilting her head from the waves of pleasure, her feminine voice leveling up as the man was being used mercilessly from both extremes of his body.

“I have to admit; at first I thought it was an empty promise…” Takumi gasps on pleasure after the girls have had her turn; it was time for the man to get his moment. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he caressed with tenderness the heads of the girls, who were kneeling between his legs, kissing, licking, swallowing his meat and sack, slobbering his member with her tongues and the inside of her mouths taking turns to take him whole. Both Korone and Okayu repeatedly giggling every time they look up at his face of pleasure, rubbing their heads against his hands, only using their mouths, “Do you… f-fuck, do you think you could also… use your breasts?”

“Eh? What a simple man you are, you know that doesn’t feel good for us right?” Korone complains inflating her cheeks. Regardless, she moves to his left side and rests her chest over his lap, looking to place his member coated on saliva between her breasts.

“It doesn’t…? I guess I never thought about that before,” Takumi pants and holds his head, taking a deep breath as Okayu too stops sucking on him to move to the right side and place her breasts against Korone, “But man… this sure is a sight to behold, I promise I won’t ask for this again so, please, only this time.”

“Hahaha, you’re so cute, even though we almost broke your neck and waist, you don’t dare to be as pushy as us,” Okayu says when rubbing her nipples against Korone’s and making her squirm, then loudly kissing Takumi’s tip. “It definitely doesn’t feel good for us, but it turns me on to see you make those faces and groan with that cute voice, don’t you think the same Koro?”

“Ah… if I think about it…” The dog-girl ponders about it for a couple of seconds, directly looking at his eyes with the cat when pressing her breasts on his cock, moving them up and down, Okayu joining on the movements with just another of her nasty giggles, moving on a tempo different from the other. The combined efforts make Takumi’s legs shake from the sudden currents of pleasure, his hands fiercely grabbing on the blankets when they sucked on his tip while moving, “When you react that way… it makes me feel so powerful, so let me make you feel even better… Takumi, make more of those noises for us…” She whispered once again falling on a drive of lust, licking his trunk together with Okayu.

“Crap, oh… wasn’t I supposed to be the one… on the lead now?” He chuckles embarrassed on his own voice tone, caressing the back of their heads, which only helped to entertain their provocations, looking to make him produce even more acute noises.

When the last weeks of the year hit on the calendar, Takumi didn’t get to see his girlfriends again that month. Korone and Okayu were stuffed with activities from their agency, and spent most of the nights sleeping at hotels, just for the next day to go into working on the city, attending shows streamed on Internet, or participating in small concerts. 

In January, when the turmoil had finally calmed down, and the snow had covered the country with a thick layer of white, the three could finally spend some time together again, on their apartment.

“Alright, please stop struggling for a moment, you’re making it way more difficult than it should,” Takumi tells Korone with an exasperated tone.

Okayu was covering the dog girl's eyes with her hands as the man took his hand to put on her finger a thin, reddish-gold ring with marks of dog paws carved in it and one diamond on the center, Okayu unfolds her eyes and the girl instantly exploded with a long and powerful scream of happiness, deafening the other two, “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOOOOOD!” Korone stretched her arm high on the sky, looking up at the piece of jewelry overwhelmed in emotion, “THIS IS THE ONE YOU GUYS BOUGHT?! IT’S SO CUTE I LOVE IT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!”

“My ears… Just like we promised, you and I bought Okayu’s ring, so she and I bought yours!” Takumi shouts joining on her hype, the living room was heating up only with the excitement of the three alone. “Now’s my turn!” He shouts next with a childish tone, extending his arm and closing his eyes, with a happy and nervous smile he couldn’t hide.

“Here you have it!” Okayu screamed next, but this time she was totally faking her own spurt of adrenaline, taking on his hand and placing a piece of metal over his palm, Korone stared at it and immediately fell on the floor, laughing her lungs out, “Don’t! Pfft… don’t do that! He’s going to find out! O-ok open your eyes!”

“Wait, why didn’t you put it on my fing-…” He stopped mid-sentence with a quizzical look on his face, there was a lively fidget-spinner, Okayu couldn’t hold her laughter any longer, both the cat and the dog dastardly mocking him of his reaction, laughing and pointing at him with her fingers, “C’mon now… why am I the one you girls have to mess with…” Takumi groans bittersweet, looking at the toy spinning by its free will on his hand.

“Oh… c’mon don’t cry, it was just a little tease,” Korone says holding her stomach, breathing in and out. Okayu took the toy away from his palm, tears running from her eyes doing her best to contain her laughter at the expression of disappointment on his face, “Here, this is the real thing, sorry, we wanted to mess with you a little because you didn’t like the idea of us buying you an engagement ring,” She explained pacing her breathing, gently fixing a ring which baguettes were divided into gold and silver from each extreme, “We thought this would be of your liking, looks cool right? We wanted it to make it cool for you.”

“It’s amazing… I’m sorry for saying it wasn’t going to be of my liking, thank you,” He tells them with a wide smile, giving a kiss on the lips to each one, “Thank you, Korone, Okayu, I love you, both of you, so much.”

“And I love you too!” Okayu shouts and jumps on him, snuggling the man and reuniting their hands, “Let’s keep doing our best, living together, cooking together, everything is amazing with you two on my side.”

“Hey, I was supposed to say that!” Korone pouts and jumps over the two, joining on the group hug and rubbing her cold nose on their faces, “What do I say now? You stole my best lines!”

“Is there anything left to say? I just like to say that I love you, Korone, it makes me happy to say it.”

“Okayu… I love you too, so much, and you Takumi, I love too, let’s be a family together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I asked a girl friend of mine who is in a polyamorous relationship about what has been a wholesome moment of living like that, she answered making an example of how things like cooking together, between three people, made it faster and tastier. Maybe I couldn't use that example properly on this work, but I did it the best I could.
> 
> Thinking wisely of all the other things I want to write before the year ends, I reaffirm that I'll possibly just write one more Chapter for SVTN3 before it happens. I'm also considering the last story should be one which tones down on the sex scenes, so it'll probably be about (Himemori) Luna or Rushia.


	8. Forget-Me-Nots (Siro's Happy Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to share with you the readers a bit of thought. When I was writing this Chapter, I did it while feeling great anxiety in my heart, feeling fear, and an obliterating emptiness in my stomach. Whenever I think about Siro, I feel overjoyed, she’s an incredible person, beautiful, cheerful, charismatic, gentle, kind, and so much more. When I see her nowadays, I feel mesmerized and with a little heartache, the numbers of her visits on her videos, the amount of attention she gets and so…, so much has changed in just two years yet she continues working hard, she continues doing what she loves, and the amount of dedication, ego, self-esteem, money and time needed for being a VTuber, has never been a theme for jokes, you should never overlook that. After Nijisanji expanded, and after Hololive grew, have you ever thought about *all* these people? About these amazing people who made VTubers into what they are now? Who made this subgroup relevant for Japanese and International pop culture? They took a path no one else could see and made it visible, they are the pioneers; they facilitated each and every element for others, they constructed the highway everyone is using now. Have you ever thought again about Kizuna Ai and how is she doing nowadays? Have you ever thought again about Nekomiya Hinata, the one who demonstrated VTubers could be progamers? About Aoi Fuji and Hime and Hina and Kaguya Luna, and their music careers? Please never forget them; never let them disappear from your thoughts, keep giving them attention and love, they are the reason we have met so many incredible people; they’re the reason we are fans.

“Come in, make yourself at home.”

Takumi declared as he hung the keys of the penthouse in a holder of the wall of the receiver. Taking off the hats, scarves, and jackets Pekora and him were using to protect their bodies from the cold of December, looting layers of clothes in the hangers and closet, the fidgeting bunny-girl walks inside the spacious and luxurious living room with a nervous chuckle.

“Even if you say so, I don’t feel like the most welcome visitor.”

She said with a serious tone without using her usual fixation. Rubbing the cold off her shoulders, while Takumi had already walked all the way up to the kitchen, looking for a kettle to fill it with water on the sink, she was still taking reluctant steps inside the place, gazing at him with anxiety and to the living room.

“Are you sure this is ok? I have never met her before, and now I’m going inside her house without even asking her permission.”

Continuing in her doubts which removed her usual speech mannerism, Takumi put the kettle over the stove and posed an arm against the door frame of the kitchen, looking back at her.

“You’re fretting too much, this is my house too and you’re my guest, nothing bad is going to happen, I promise.”

He made a swing of his head to the distant wall at her right in the living room. The realization of his infamous selection of amateur pictures makes her shrug tightly in, inhale; then exhale with a burst of relaxed and soft laughter. In the vastness of that place with fancy and wide crystal windows, with well-furnished leather-sofas and a plasma TV and the flower decorations and more, the cheap colorful photo frames were a matter to laugh and relax, a sight which made the place give a friendlier mood. Before she realized it, Pekora was involuntarily walking to the wall, staring at the pictures she recognized, the pictures she was part of, and the pictures unknown of her experience and memories, which made her sketch a bittersweet smile towards the man.

“It definitely looks like you live here too peko, but it seems no wall is enough for you hehe, this is funnily crowded, maybe you should peko look for one of those digital frames where you can put a bunch of them together peko.”

The girl calmly explains going back to her usual personality, Takumi walks from the door and meets with her wearing an expression f curiosity sketched on his face.

“That would kill the charm entirely, don’t you think so? That kind of stuff is for people whose lives it’s always a hurry, these pictures are not memories to boast of, they’re here to make me feel comfortable.”

He caressed the top of her head and turned his eyes to the wall.

“You are in so many of these pictures before I even could realize, that makes me so happy.”

The girl’s cheek slightly gleamed with red.

“That’s what you would call _boasting,_ you dumbhead.”

Serving the water over a pot when it boiled, Takumi prepared the tea, brought a bag of cookies from a stall, and served them over a plain plate, taking it all with a tray to the living room.

“You know Pekora, if I think about all of this a bit better I guess I should apologize. No, definitely I need to apologize. You shouldn’t feel that way when coming to my home, regardless you do it. Even though you were by my side at our wedding, even though you spent a lot of time with her during the last week of preparations of the wedding, even though you’re my _best man_ you still said something like _‘I have never met her before’_ , that is something I didn’t foresee, I didn’t think that after all that you would still consider you’re strange to her and vice versa, and yet, yet, you joined me all the way up here, I’m sorry.”

The bunny-girl closed her eyes with a satisfied smile as she carefully listened to his apology. Swinging her head from side to side as if she had heard melodious music, she took a cookie, immediately took a sip of tea, made a couple of jaw movements, and swallowed it all together. Opening her eyes to observe the silver ring on his hand and smile again.

“That ability you have to recognize your own wrongdoings and find a proper way to peko apologize, calmly and mature, is one of the reasons I continue to stick with you peko, I guess you’re so dumb you don’t know it, but little people can peko do that, including myself.”

She looked down at him with kindness, since she sat over the sofa while he was sitting on the floor, both distanced from the coffee table where it rested the cups of tea and the cookies. Pekora took a crumb off her cheek by pressing on the skin of her face with her pinky then ate it and continued.

“I’m sorry too; I guess I’ve been looking at things the wrong way peko. I thought I would have a lot of feelings and thoughts over you getting married, what I was peko worried about the most, was of having horrible feelings and thoughts towards you. But after it was all over, I felt nothing bad of the sort, I was so happy that you included me in such a peko important moment of your life peko. So when everything calmed down, I thought the correct thing was to distance myself more than usual, to don’t disrupt your new life peko, but I was looking at it the wrong way, you’re my friend, and I’m your friend, and in that context, we need each other peko. I should calm down, for the sake of our friendship, to continue having moments worth taking pictures of peko!”

They took a cookie from the plate; then played shooting it inside the other’s mouth, Takumi catching it successfully, Pekora changing the direction of her face in the last moment, having the snack hit on her nose and break into crumbles from the impact, the bunny groans in pain and shame, hurrying to clean the sofa from the crumbs.

“But you know peko? Maybe you should consider smoke a cigarette in the living room before she peko comes back.”

Later that evening, after both had spent the day catching up, watching TV, and playing games, when she was helping him to pick up the mess they had done, she voiced.

“Why so?”

“Well, today I wanted to try a new peko perfume, didn’t you notice?”

“Of course, it suits you well, should I have mentioned it?”

“It’s fine that’s not the problem. Is just that it has quite a strong smell, and it probably got stuck in the tapestry of the cushions.”

“Oh.”

“Right? I don’t know he-… I don’t know her well enough peko, but if I were her, I would feel anxious if I come back home and smell other woman’s perfume in my house where I live with my husband.”

“Fair enough, I will cover the odor as soon as possible, thank you.”

“I saw you have a crystal ashtray in the coffee table peko, is quite pretty for an ashtray.”

“Yeah, she bought it for me some time ago.”

“I thought that so far… it seems you really found your soulmate peko…”

“… Pekora…”

“No, don’t worry peko, don’t worry for me, honestly, I feel good for being able to say that peko, it feels a weight off my shoulders, like the last thing I needed to do to be truly happy for you.”

“…”

“When I get married too, let’s hang out the four of us together peko, promise?”

“… Definitely, a promise.”

“Oh and one more thing peko.”

“Yes?”

She chuckled with a ticklish on both of her cheeks before she could even formulate the question. Walking together into the kitchen to put the plates and cups and glasses, she glanced to an extreme of the kitchen table, where a melon was comically stabbed by each and every knife which once was sheathed on the wood holder besides, stabbed eight times, all blades now sheathed by the folds of fruity meat.

“What’s the meaning behind that peko? Do you hate melons? Or maybe you peko drink too much beer without me noticing?”

“That…”

Takumi approached the murder-ish scene, and with a lamenting sigh, he started to pluck the knives from the melon skin. Holding tightly on them and pulling with little sudden spurts of strength. 

“She loves her kitchen knives, she’s always cleaning them with detail with a special mop, and from time to time I find her in the kitchen sharpening them, just sharpening them. When she does that is like the rest of the world around her disappears, like when someone reads a good book, or when the climax of a movie engrosses you, that’s how precious they are for her.”

“… And were you so mad at her that you thought on messing their edge peko?”

“No, not mad at her… I just thought that… Maybe if I did something like this to her knives, she would sense it, and come back home to check on them.”

“… You really miss her, don’t you?”

“She’s my wife after all…”

He spat once again with a lamenting tone, playing with the ring on his finger, Pekora softly held on his wrist and looked up to him with a smile, slowly wrapping the man with a silent hug and he accidentally let a couple of tears run from his eyes.

After they finishing cleaning everything up, it was at the start of the night, and the countdown for public transport to stop working. They ran up to the train station, but the last one had already departed, before Pekora could start with a childish tantrum (She was already kicking his ankles with fury) the man called on a taxi, gave him the directions, and gave the bunny a couple of bucks to pay for the ride, giving goodbye to each other with a kiss on the cheek.

In the middle of the night, he proceeds to walk alone back to his home. Transiting the streets which become deserted of people the past of the minutes into the freezing night, he stops at a combini to replenish the snacks and drinks he and Pekora consumed, then keeps making his way to the luxurious building.

Once inside, he organized everything inside the fridge and closed the door. Sitting on the sofa, he remembered what the bunny had advice him, then turned on the cushions and loudly sniffed on each one, noticing the distinctive smell the girl forewarned, he sighed and looked at the ashtray. Bringing a package out of his pants, he pulled a cigarette from it by the tips of his fingers; then lit it with a metallic zippo, leaning on the sofa with a grunt.

The next morning it was Wednesday, of the second week of December. Takumi slowly opened his eyes from the slumber of alcohol and food, with a smile, not even he could understand, with a feeling of happiness, not even he could dissect from the total of the elements which happened last day. He looked to his left, searching in the night table for his phone; it was ten in the morning.

“I overslept.”

He now looked to his right, then, the meaning of his happiness suddenly resolved into a bittersweet answer. His right arm was stretched along with a large pillow below his skin as if it had been used for someone’s head support, even though there wasn’t anyone there, there were a couple of long threads of hair foreign from the ones of his arm, even though there wasn’t anyone there. There was a mild fragrance of a woman’s perfume, an essence of citric fruits between the blankets, even though there wasn’t anyone there. There was a mark of weight, the trace that someone had slept together with him, the blankets were evenly split, signaling someone got up from that side and out of the bed, even though there wasn’t anyone there, nobody but him, only him. 

Takumi put his left hand on the silhouette of the bed, it had a faint sensation of warmth; he hurried to jump out of the bed. Running around the house with only boxers and sockets, the man checked on all the rooms, the living room, and the kitchen, he even stepped away into the dead cold terrace, he even climbed up the stairs to the roof, but she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Disappointed but with a poker face, emotionless from both the empty feeling and having to face the breeze without protection, he gets inside the bathroom, and notices something he didn’t realize before, since he was searching for a person, he didn’t notice the words written with red lipstick on the mirror.

_“I feel recharged after sleeping with you, love you lots!”_

He played with the ring on his hand with a fixed smile, sighed, and got in the shower. Takumi changed for a set of clothes to get ready for work on their room, and when he opted to fix the bed, looking at the remains of her silhouette, he could just caress the borders in powerlessness; then abandon the room as it was.

In the kitchen, he found two bowls with rice and soup each, covered with plastic foil. Another bowl with salad and a ceramic plate with roasted mackerel, was again one more thing he didn’t notice at his early treasure hunting looking for his partner. He dipped a finger on the soup and licked a taste for it, the salty, home-cooked, and distinctive flavor of her seasoning and skill invaded his body with an uncontrollably smile; giving up on feeling angry or disappointed, he placed everything inside the microwave but the salad to re-heat it.

He consumed the prepared breakfast with a new mood, diligently using the chopsticks to break the fish meat apart to place it over the rice and take a bite of it altogether. Taking on his phone from the pants and unlocking the screen, Takumi took a selfie of his cheeks stuffed then send it to his wife with the message of _“Rub a dub-dub and thanks for the grub!”_ but after sending it, he scrolled up to their text chat conversation, and his smile gradually worn off his face, as most of the messages were from him, left as read without a reply. His finger trembled over the green icon to call on her, but Takumi chose to don’t press it.

Protecting himself with the winter garment and his guitar on the back, Takumi set off to the city. The man gave the last class to the kids that day; then they held a small party with the rest of the children from the other classes, their parents, and the rest of the professors. Each class having their moment to play and sing the song they spent practicing from November, being clapped and celebrated by their parents with a smile.

“It’s ok, you don’t need to hide it, Kimiko, just cry until you feel better,” Takumi tells the little girl holding her guitar, crying louder than the number of tears running from her eyes. The student broke into a tantrum at the end of Takumi’s class presentation which impressed the parent as they all were wearing elf costumes. The man took her out of the party-room and sat her on a chair in the hall, slowly petting her head when a tall woman with long black hair popped out from the room looking for them.

“Ah, professor Takumi here you are! What happened? That girl broke in tears all of a sudden…”

“Professor Kazumi, sorry for making you worry, you see, is that Kimiko’s mom couldn’t come to the party.”

“Oh my…”

The woman spat with a condescending sigh, walking in front of the girl and kneeling, cleaning her eyes with a finger, “Must be frustrating for you, I’ve heard from other teachers you’re always doing your best…”

“I just wanted her to listen… I w-worked so hard for her to listen to it.” Kimiko stutters mixed in anger and sadness, making her hands into fists and violently waving her legs, both adults hurrying to hold on her shoulders trying to calm her down, “Everyone had their parents come but me! Even the teachers had their husbands and wives come, she’s the only one who didn’t!” She screamed her lungs out, full of rage.

Kazumi made another condescending sigh, with a guilty smile she looked up to Takumi, who looked back at her with the same expression, the man chuckled and shook his head, “Actually, your mother is not the only one who didn’t come, my wife didn’t either,” He expressed with a calm and serious tone, managing to catch on the girl’s curiosity and stop her loud squirming. “I was dying to show her the effort you all did since the last month, but she’s busy and couldn’t come.”

The little girl’s crying slowly calmed down and degraded into hiccups, as the curiosity to word a certain question was stronger than her desire to continue bawling, “And… professor Takumi, you aren’t mad?”

“Nope, because I know the things she has to do are as important as mine, is not a matter of deciding which one is more important. Sometimes, you have to let the people you love to do the things they want, even though it means they won’t be together with you all the time.”

“But… that doesn’t sound fair, I… I did all of this for her…”

“That goes the same way for me, my wife knows the director and people from this school, I got this job because of her. I come here all days to do my best, and I do it all for her.”

“But she didn’t come in the end! Why professor isn’t mad?! Is this what adults do? It sucks!”

But Kazumi and Takumi laughed off at the bitter comment of the girl, unable to deny it.

“It does, but… you know? Kimiko, I just thought of a way our feelings can reach both your mother and my wife.”

“Really?! Oh, so is like… we are going to get revenge?”

“Hahaha, no, nothing so vain like that…”

He took out his phone and pulled the video camera application with a swing of his finger, at the same time, Kazumi quickly understanding his intentions, brought a handkerchief from a pocket of her pants and cleaned the face of the girl. Takumi took a couple of steps back and focused the lens on the little girl.

“Right here, right now, you’re going to sing what you spent so much practicing, and you are going to do it the best you can, so both your mom and my wife can see the effort we put to this day, that way our feelings will reach them, what do you say? Can you do it one more time?”

“Yes! If it’s for mom I’ll do it! Mom, look at me! I practiced this song for you, hope it makes you happy!”

At the end of the celebration, when the professors began to leave along with the parents and their kids, both Kazumi and Takumi accompanied the little girl until her mother showed up, which picked her up and lifted her in the air thanking her for the video she sent her earlier before. That day was the last day of the music school for the year, as the girl waved to her teacher when she rode in her mother’s car, the other two closed the main door with keys and locks; they wouldn’t use the building again until January.

Late at night, Takumi had come back to his penthouse, and when he inserted the keys on the door, he could feel a peculiar echo of music, making the door slowly vibrate, a smile summoned on his face and his blood pressure began to arise. He spun the keys desperately, and slammed the door open, clumsily trying to get off his shoes and throwing the jacket on the floor, removing the keys just for them to fall over the cloth, failing to close the door at least twice, there was an aroma of something being cook, a person was in the kitchen. But when he had finally run inside the place his exasperation wasn’t rewarded with the image he wanted to see, instead, there was a girl of short brown hair with a pink ribbon invading the kitchen, swinging her waist to the beat of a song in the radio, sautéing vegetables with a skillet, the girl turned to him sensing his presence, and gave him a smug smile.

“Ai, since when do you have keys to this place?”

“Oyo? Did you forget Siro and I are neighbors since before we met you? We have keys to each other’s houses.”

“Is that so? And the reason you barged in and started cooking in our kitchen is because… why exactly?”

The girl chuckled with malice, leaving the spatula over the table to place the skillet on a turned-off burner and a pot with broth on the other.

“You see, your dear wife told me she came home the other day and smelled a perfume on one of the couch that wasn’t from her.”

“… Crap.”

“I see; then you aren’t going to deny you let another woman in this house? I never thought you would be that kind of despicable man you know? I thought marriage would fix your sex drive.”

“Wait no; you’re getting it all wrong, please… Yes, a woman came here, but it was Pekora, that is all, I thought I had cleaned the cushions just in case.”

“But you didn’t, and so here I am because your wife asked me to keep an eye on you.”

“Why… it was just a friend.”

“Takumi you know, that kind of argument can only be used for a little number of men, and you know? Most of your girl _‘friends’_ are women you’ve slept with at least once so, her fears aren’t just a thought without support, they’re honest worries, as she’s absent most of the time.”

“… sighs…”

“Did you just, literally say the word _‘sigh’_ just know?”

“I just don’t know whether to feel responsible for this or to point out that same description applies to you too.”

“Hah! But the difference here is that Siro believes in me, even after all that happened she believes in me…”

She approached him and gently slapped the man on his face, sighing.

“Don’t you think is lame? Maybe this means she believes more in me than in you…

Or maybe it means she doesn’t have the bravery to ask if you were with another woman.”

“Ai… can you explain to her about it?”

“Of course, who do you think I am? I have to a stream with her the next day; I’ll gladly explain things properly.”

“Gladly?”

“Yes, even if you don’t believe what are I’m going to say now, the truth is, I’m rooting for both of you.”

She made a pause and went back to the kitchen, to continue her preparations, bringing breaded chicken breasts from the fridge, smiling from ear to ear.

“After all, if you two make your marriage success… it would mean that the rest of us can do it too; you may not realized it yet, but a lot of us want for you two to make this dream possible.”

“How many people is that exactly?”

“Enough, enough men and women who work doing this, enough for me to appear and give you a hand.”

“…”

“And well, as embarrassing as is to admit, I didn’t have any plans for today, and bullying you a little was a better idea than spend the day alone, hehe.”

“You never change, do you?”

Ai didn’t allow him to put a step inside the kitchen; instead, she did everything on her own. Almost an hour later they were having dinner together in the living room, a strange meeting of two people who hadn’t speak the other in a space of literal months, and yet there wasn’t any unpleasantness when facing the other.

“You remember right? It was almost like this when we were dating, this emptiness, this silence…” Ai says playing with a fork. “I thought you have learned the lesson after it, but here you are, risking it all, and despite I didn’t think you would do this again, now I want you to don’t give up.”

“…”

“We talked about this before, didn’t we? I warned you about this, and I’m sure she warned you about it too.”

“…”

“Don’t hold back Takumi, is a bad habit of yours, the more you hold back the more you’ll end hurt.”

“I… I love her; I love her enough to continue doing this… But going to sleep alone, waking up alone, eating on my own, and not getting my messages replied… Ai, it feels like it’s killing me.”

“Do you want me to tell her about that too?”

“No, anything but that. Because it doesn’t matter how I feel, she has her own life, and I have mine, then later, it’s our life.”

“What a blockhead… You two are married now for God’s sake, your marriage comes first now, then later the things you two want to pursue as individuals, if you do it the other way around, you’ll never enjoy being a husband and wife, for starters-…”

A ringing stopped her scolding; Takumi’s phone was vibrating with the melody of an artificial beat. He took the phone and with wide-open eyes, he read twice the name of the person making the call, a video call on top of everything, he swung the phone in front of Ai’s face with a huge smile, making the girl snort, she then hurried to stand up from her side on the table and sit together with him, fixing her hair as he answered the call and toggled the frontal camera on, both of them screaming a cheerful “Heeey!” to the white-haired girl in the other side of the call, who waves happily to the other two.

“Ai, Takumi, how are you both doing?”

“We’re doing fine, what about you? Are you keeping up? It’s your fourth day working.”

“Everything is fine here… ah, for a moment just now, my heart calmed down… I missed your voice, Takumi.”

“I miss you too, when are you coming back?”

“Uhm, maybe in two more days, then we will be finally over with all the broadcastings.”

“Siro… you have bags under your eyes, are you sure you aren’t tired? Please don’t force yourself.”

The woman from the other side let out a gentle giggle, clenching her right arm while holding onto the phone with the left, she had an exhausted face, and her smile was forced.

“Not to worry at all! Because Takumi… you know? I’m having a lot of fun right now! And I won’t stop until the end! Full throttle!”

Takumi paused on her half-lie, half-truth declaration, closed his eyes for a brief second, and exhaled with an honest smile, opening his eyes and looking at her from the screen with endearing eyes.

“I know you’re doing your best, I’ve seen your videos without exception, I am sure you're shinning like you always do, keep on the hard work! We’ll meet each other later.”

“Hehe, thaaaaank you, you sure know what to say, love you lots! See you soon, and thank you for the messages!”

The phone call ended, and Takumi dropped the phone over the table with a loud grunt, making Ai give him a sneer.

“Are you sure this is how you should be dealing with this situation?”

“No, I’m not sure at all but… did you see her just know? Even if it was a fake smile, she’s working so hard… who am I to tell her to stop all of that and come here with me?”

“Wow… that’s such a mature answer, Takumi, you’re impressive when I least expect it.”

“Am I? Because I feel like throwing a tantrum right now.”

“Well, it would be weird if you didn’t want to hahaha.”

“Thanks for coming today Ai… I don’t want to admit it but, being here alone is really eating me up.”

“No worries! And when she comes back, let’s hang out the three of us together! Or well… Maybe after you two finish _catching up_ , I bet none of you are going to leave the bed the entire month.”

“Huh, I don’t think it’ll go that bad, but, if anything. Don’t come here unless we call you, because we are definitely going to be busy.”

“HAHAHA, what, won’t you like we have a short _ménage à trois_ this Christmas?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“May-be!”

“Siro too proposed something like that months ago…”

“Then maybe I will really consider paying a visit later this week, what do you say?”

“… Let’s change the subject please.”

“Oh c’mon, when did you become such a boring dude?”

And just that same weekend, just like they have foreseen, on the cold morning of a Saturday, a pale girl of white hair and blue dress slammed open the door of the penthouse with both hands. 

“DARLING, IM HOME!

… Were you going out?”

She tilts her head with confusion, as Takumi appears from the hallway with a black t-shirt and gray pants.

“I just thought… to be fancy before you would come.”

“Hahaha, that’s such a girly thing to say, when did we change roles in our relationship?”

“Just come here, you dork!”

“Dork incoming!”

She jumped on him, and locked her arms around his neck, her feet slightly waving over the floor.

“I missed your warmth…”

The woman whispers rubbing her face against his neck.

“Your smell… your respiration, oh God it feels like I could cry…”

“No need to, take your time.”

“… Uh, aren’t you supposed to say how much you miss me now?”

“I missed you so much that I cried a couple of times before already.”

“Takumi…”

“… Looking at you hanging with other people for so many days, I felt so jealous, especially with the men, seeing you working without our ring was so discouraging… I was so jealous and so sad.”

“T-Takumi… I didn’t know… I… could you take me to the sofa first?”

He gave a silent nod and held her by the waist, taking steps back into the living room, walking in reverse until he dropped his and her weight at the sofa. Siro quickly adjusted at the new position, curling and nesting over his chest, purring like a cat, pacing her breath, rubbing her body against him.

“I’m sorry that you felt like that, of all things I didn’t want to happen, this was one of it. Because when I’m not with you, I feel anxious and jealous, I fear my absence would make you do something stupid… I was so scared the other day; thank God it was only Pekora…”

“Oh, so Ai _did_ tell you… Guess I’ll have to thank her for it later.”

“Takumi, can I stay like this?”

She asks leaning further on him, the way she curled her arms and legs made her look like a cat taking a nap over its owner. Takumi pet her hair slowly with the left and caressed her back with the right.

“Of course you can, I’ve been dying to have you this close…”

“Don’t worry Darling, at the end of the day, you’re the only man I want to be this close of… ahhh… I’m so tired, more than a week of work, even though I was having fun, I missed your arms so much.”

“You look like a raccoon with those eye-bags.”

“Hehehe, you’re also the only one I want to see me without make-up.”

“Say… you don’t have any more plans for the month, do you?”

“I don’t! I’m all for you and only for you! So for now… if you don’t mind… can I… would you let me sleep? Right here, just like this… Let me recharge my _Takumi batteries..._ ”

“Nothing would make me happier.”

Siro giggled with tiredness, giving a long and loud breath, smiling as he embraced her tightly.

“I asked the producers… I’m going to be able to use our ring in front of the cameras next year…”

“That’s… good to hear…” Takumi gave her a soft and long kiss on the lips, finally closing his eyes at peace, cuddling in the sofa with her.

“I’m sorry… we’re probably going to have problems like this next year too…”

“Is that so? Then let’s make sure this month we make up for the time lost…”

“Hehe… Let’s have a lot of sex after this nap… Maybe we should invite Ai, or are you against the idea still? Oh gosh, I’m so beaten up… am I really talking, or just dreaming we are?”

“You’re still awake, I’ll do whatever you want…”

“Really? That’s kinky heh… hehehe… then let’s also visit my parents in New Years, and I want to visit your mother’s grave and pay my respects too, for giving me such an amazing husband…”

“Of course... Let’s do that and even more… Siro… I love you…”

“Takumi… I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As this is the last Chapter of SVTN3 of the year, there are more thoughts I’d like to share. First, an apology, as I did say the last would be about Luna or Rushia, but I wanted to end without sex content, and those two, weren’t fit for that requirement.
> 
> The second is about my own VTuber project. Personally speaking, if you’d like to know a bit about me, I’m trying to become a published author, I want to make a living as a writer. By the start of next year, I’ll be taking a lot of hard decisions, decisions not everyone agrees with, especially my parents, and despite these decisions are needed, I’m scared, incredibly scared, that what I want to do is nothing but a fluttering fantasy, that I’m useless, that I’m going to be stuck in this same place working my ass to earn a few pennies to don’t die of starvation, and that in the end, I’m going to die without ever amounting anything in my life. As much as it makes me happy to open AO3 and find new bookmarks, new kudos, as much as publishing works on this site has helped me grow as a writer and find my own style, in the long way this won’t be enough. I’m sorry, I’m really are, as your support is what has to help me believe that I’m walking in the right direction, but I need more than silent support if I want to become someone. I know how hard is to publicly show interest in works of erotica, I know that is even harder to stand and support a man who writes porn, I know that most people aren’t fans of male VTubers.
> 
> But I need you, you, the reader, to support me and promote my works, to follow my VTuber Twitter, I need that kind of help more than ever, because despite I’m moving forward on my own, I’m incredibly scared, every day and every time, would you please, help me?
> 
> This project will now be on hiatus until next year! Happy holidays everyone, stay safe and respect quarantine!


	9. The Leader of The Pack (Mio's Happy Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story follows the events of "White Silence" but contrary to the rest of the timelines, this one doesn't have any connection towards "The End of a Sweet Nightmare"

On the very last day of December, the farthest neighborhoods of the city of Tokyo were covered with a thick layer of frosty white. With a gentle warm, yellow light the sun rose from afar on the east, releasing little blinding shines reflecting on the frost like miniature diamonds being exposed to light; and the air, mentholated with the essence of the purified cold and the remaining greens of the yards could drown anyone’s lungs over a bracing feeling. Deep on the maze of timber-made houses, a wolf-girl quickly ran from the entrance door towards the stuffed mailbox at the fence of her home. Wearing a long camisole under her robe and thick large neck boots, she made a well-executed sprint, splashing through the snow, with her breath shaping into little air clouds like a locomotive machine and repeatedly wrapping her robe, she took the mail and a little box and ran back to the entrance of her old-style Japanese house, where a man was waiting for her with a sneer.

“My God what a… bracing cold…!” She spouts with her entire body trembling when walking inside the receiver as the man closed the door for her, “I love mornings like this; they sure wake you up… But my God is so cold!” The animal-girl squirmed at the last part with an acute screech as her body made a second and sudden shake.

“Even though I said I would pick it up for you,” The man chuckled shaking his head with a sarcastic expression, brushing her long tail with both hands, “There there, is this good?”

“Ah…! You delinquent! Since when did you start to brush my tail without permission? Ah, no don’t stop! Brush it harder!” Mio screeched again, invaded by shrieks of cold and slightly bending for Takumi to keep caressing her tail, “Uhm… t-that’s enough, hey, is enough, my tail is warm now!” She yelled next with a little blush on her face from the embarrassment, detaching from his hands, made a pause from her yelling and glances at him behind her back with a little smile, “Hey, is the last day of the year, isn’t it exciting?”

“Exciting you say?” Takumi wonders with doubt, as Mio removed her boots and took on her slippers; he made a long snore and followed her from the living room to the kitchen while scratching his abdomen from inside the shirt, “Maybe for you and your friends… I’m personally tired, and somehow anxious,” He said with narrowed eyes, taking care of the boiling pots over the stove, as Mio left the mail over the kitchen table and proceed to hold on a knife to cut and slice a couple of unattended vegetables.

“Well it would be weird if you didn’t feel anxious, everyone feels like that this day,” She continued his thought with a singing voice, cutting the tip and end of a carrot, making it into thin slices with an onion stalk, and handing it all together over a wooden table to Takumi for him to put it on the pot with the stew, “As for us…” Her voice dropped a level of the excitement given to her early soak on the breeze, staring up to him with a bittersweet expression, “Well, we’ll be plenty busy today, is going to be a long, long night, but we’ll try to come back as soon as possible.”

“You’re talking in plural now?” He wonders again with a quizzical look; then made a couple of hops towards the living room, where two girls were sleeping under multiple layers of blankets and a heater centimeters close to the futon, “Hey… I know you heard us when we started cooking, stop playing dead and get up,” Takumi lectured them from afar, which the acting girls replied with a surprised gasp of being caught, from left to right Fubuki and Subaru popped their heads out of the blankets, looking back at him with a pout, he ignored this and went back to Mio, “You know… you should have at least warned me that you told them about us.”

The wolf huffed with a huge smile and started laughing, “Ah, but your reaction was so cute last night I still can remember it,” She held onto her stomach with both arms, approaching Takumi who flustered uncomfortable reminiscing the scene, avoiding her eyes, “It was almost midnight, yet you hurried to look for me on that storm, and when you saw me right in the entrance with Fubu and Subaru you ran away inside the house as if you had seen a ghost… it was so funny!”

“Honestly, what were you thinking when you did that? Mornin’” Fubuki interrupted on Mio mocking Takumi, sitting on the outside of the kitchen table and resting her head over her arms.

“You girls sure are mean, w-what other thing was I suppose to do!?” He tried to defend his actions with an uncharacteristic acute tone, making the girls giggle and him redder, “There was a huge storm last night; I thought you weren’t going to make it! I thought you were trapped somewhere so I was planning to look out for you!” He crossed his arms with a full red face, “Sorry for worrying for you I guess!”

“Silly, I told you I was going to come in a taxi! Did you really think I was going to make all the way from the bus stop to here on foot?” Mio tells him with a snicker, making a dastardly smug smile showing her fangs, leaning her weight over him and carefully embracing him, rubbing the tip of her nose over his chest, “Although I should have warned you I was going to bring company, forgive me ok?” She requested by burying her face on his shirt and taking a deep breath.

“… You’re so unfair, acting so cutely,” He sighs unable to make any comments back, petting her head, slowly calming down he turned to gaze at the fox-girl, “Then again, I’m still confused about why you girls are here…” His eyes went up to the ceiling trying to dig on the memories of last night, “You said you had something important to talk with me but… in the end you all went to sleep without explaining what that was.”

There was a brief moment of silence, Mio slowly separated from him with furrowed brows, “Well about that…”

“We were ready to talk about it with you, but in the end, the three of us chickened out and went to sleep instead,” Fubuki middles again, explaining the reasons behind and releasing an acute yawn, “To think about it still makes me feel colder than the weather outside from the nerves…”

“Then again, what do you girls want to talk about that is making you all so anxious, and why does it include me?” Takumi insist one more time, but the more he pushes to make them talk, the more they froze in awkward silence, he decides to take a wooden spoon and check on the food being cooked, “… Whatever it is, are you planning to say it soon?”

“Y-yes… we’ll tell you about it after breakfast, I promise,” Mio said with a bit of reluctance, then without trying to recover the mood from before, the two continued to cook in silence.

Subaru got up minutes later but didn’t share a single word with the man regardless of his attempts to greet her. Wearing a strange new look with a long and silky black hair which reached to the middle of her back, she caught the attention of the man multiple times as the morning advanced, making Fubuki and Mio whisper compliments into Subaru’s ears, to which she reacted every time by turning red and loudly stuttering.

As they sat together in the kotatsu the mood kept deteriorating into awkwardness. None of the girls wanted to look at Takumi, and all of them had a hard time trying to consume the food even though it was all warm and well spiced. Before they realized the man had finished before they could, and he, without an inkling of intent to be a pushover, just slid past the silence of the three and went to reheat the coffee over a small pot inside the kitchen. While they made a last-minute emergency meeting with menacing pointing fingers, nervous waving hands, and loud, flustered whispers, when the man came back, they had finished on their plates and were ready to talk.

“First things first…” Mio sighed with a serious look, stretching her arms trying to build up courage, “The thing we want to talk about you is something really delicate, and serious is… Something we’ve been conversating about for a long time now, and if we are going to tell this to you, we want you to take it with the most serious attitude, because…” As her voice was growing aggressive, she paused to calm down, “Because this may sound… strange to you, strange in a way that may seem funny, so please try to don’t make jokes or quips as we try to explain it, ok?”

“Uh… Alright, I’m not the kind who likes to play the straight man comedy anyway,” He nodded a bit intimidated by the way of speech his girlfriend was suddenly using towards him, “I’ll just stay silent and let you girls talk until the end.”

“Ah, thank you, that sure helps,” Fubuki replied for Mio and the three girls made a sigh of relief, then slowly the fox and the wolf make a gesture of head to Subaru, who with a boiling red face, anxiously sat over her legs and with hands on her knees she looked down on the empty glasses and plates.

“Aw man, why me of all of us…?” She cried acutely from the nerves, made a long squirm slapping both of her cheeks, and then faced upwards Takumi, “Here it goes…! First of all good morning!” She shouts trying to caliber the tone of her voice which continues dwelling between acute and raspy, “So you see! We thought of all the possible ways we should explain this to you, but in the end, we decided that being blunt was the best thing we could do! No shortcuts or double meaning phrases so here it goes…” As if she were to make a deafening scream, Subaru took a worryingly long breath of air, with decisive eyes she clenched her fists and switched gears, suddenly obtaining composure and serenity, “... We’ve been talking this with Mio for a long time, and after discussing it we decided, together with Fubuki and I, to make you a proposition,” A tiny pause of a final huff of encouragement, “… The thing here is, I have feelings for you, and, so does Fubuki, we are… in love of you… My God I finally said it!” She clapped her hands with astounding relief, but when the animal-girls coughed with mourned with annoyance as she stops mid-sentence, Subaru went back to her serious self, “… These feelings we have for you, are most certainly of love, we’ve been like this for a long time now, and, both of us have had enough time to study them, enough to address it as _love_ , because otherwise there won’t be another explanation for what we are feeling,” Subaru sketched a blushing smile and cleared her throat for a moment, “We talked about these feelings with Mio, and then she confessed us she was on a relationship with you, so the reason of why all of us are acting so weird is because… we want to propose you, to be in a relationship with all of us.”

Takumi held onto his breath at the end of her sentence, without moving a single inch of his body he stared at the three flustered girls who just nodded with shy smiles. The man gradually looked down on the table and exhaled, attempted to talk but only hoarse sounds came from his mouth, the girls were starting to get confused about his mannerism, and minute after a minute without a proper reply, the girls began to worry about the way of his breathing and the trembling of his body.

“T-Takumi? Are ok over there?” Mio crawls to his side in worry and rubs his shoulder, Fubuki and Subaru looking at the other in confusion.

“Hey, dude?” Fubuki asks next waving her hand in front of his face, but the man didn’t react.

Subaru leaned on the table fixing her hair, “Takumi you aren’t mad, are you?”

“H-hey, was it really so shocking to hear? You’re starting to scare me a little here now… Can you please say something?” Mio tried again to reach him through words.

“N-no…” He finally whispers with a broken tone, “Please… Mio, I, I thought you would understand,” He slightly turned his head towards the wolf, pulling an incredible sad smile, the man was on the verge of tears, “Please… I don’t want to do _that_ again…”

“Oh my God no,” Fubuki gasped with wide surprised eyes, quickly covering her face with both hands.

“Takumi…” Subaru copied the gestures of the fox, quickly understanding the meaning behind the man’s reaction.

“Wait please! Calm down, is not anything like that, oh my God please don’t cry,” With hurry Mio jumped on him and wrapped him in her arms as tightly as possible, caressing his hair and kissing his cheek, “Ssshhh, take deep breaths ok? Please just… You don’t need to talk, for now, just breath, I would never push you to go back to that awful life, I would never betray you like that, everything is fine, calm down dear,” She continued embracing him, as he quietly nodded and made suffocated mouths of air as he struggled to don’t cry, “I’m so sorry, I never thought you would feel that way about your past, you’re surprisingly the sensitive man…” She tenderly caressed his back, resting her face on his neck she started to hum a childish song, “I promise we don’t have that kind of intentions with you… what Subaru said wasn’t a lie, so please calm down, ok? Let’s try this again.”

It took the man around twenty minutes to finally calm down, Mio made him take a cup of coffee to warm him up. All of them waited with unexpected, silent patience, a long spasm of minutes which went without a sound, they were willing to give the crumbling man the time needed for him to get back into his usual self, “Better now…? Can we try again?” Mio asks brushing his shoulder, Takumi makes a shy nod of head and cleans his eyes; then the wolf-girl stands and goes back to her side of the kotatsu.

“Okay, my turn now,” Fubuki raised her hand, voluntarily taking on the lead she cleaned her throat, “Takumi, the first thing I’d like to say is what Mio tried to explain, Subaru wasn’t lying to you, we aren’t trying to convince you into being used again to have sex, it kind of hurts… that even though we were being serious and sincere, you still thought we were lying, but, you have a lot of reasons to think that, and we didn’t really know what was going to happen after confessing this to you, so I personally would let it go,” She glances to Mio next, “I suppose is ok to you too right?”

“Yeah, I can’t get mad about it at all,” The wolf nodded.

“Subaru?” The fox asked the long-haired girl next.

“I… I also felt kinda sad… that even we were being honest he still misunderstood us but, yes, I won’t jest about it, I also didn’t know what was going to happen after our confession anyway,” She expressed with a pouty but serious tone.

“Having that solved…” Fubuki rested both hands over the table, and gave him a dazzling smile, “We are being as honest as possible here ok? As silly as it may sound because the three of us are doing it together, we love you, we really do, we have feelings of love towards you, Takumi,” The girl squirmed in happiness, “My… Subaru is right; it feels so good to finally say it, ehehehe…” She waves from one side to the other with a giddily smile, coughs, and tries to take back the theme, “Ahem! So being that the case, and after we talked about it for a _very_ long time, we decided to propose you, if you’d like to be in a relationship with all of us.”

“Fine, fine, that's enough of love confessions for a day ok?” Takumi for the first time after an entire hour made his voice be heard between the walls of the living room, hiding the embarrassment given by Fubuki’s words with his left, “This is, a lot to take in… who was the one who had this idea?” He asks with a menacing stare towards the three.

“Hey quit it, that expression of yours is actually quite scary… it was me,” With ears down, Mio confesses raising her hand.

“And… Let’s suppose, _just_ suppose that I accept this whole thing, how is it going to work?” The man questions next, loosening the anxious feeling from his shoulders, minutely regaining the strength lost from the shock.

“We have talked about that for enough time, right Mio?”

“Yes, is like Fubuki says… this feels, quite stupid to be honest, I feel so stupid making this proposition to you, but we have scrounged through this enough to want to talk about it…

We are all interested in you, but we are not interested in each other, so we would be in a relationship where you are the boyfriend of every one of us, we’ll probably spend a lot of time together with the four of us, but _not_ that together.”

“And, you are all going to be fine with it? None of you is going to be jealous of the other?”

“Takumi, when you hear us say we have talked about this for a long time, what do you exactly understand?”

“… A couple of weeks?”

“Plenty of months, enough to have the resolve and the thoughtfulness to don’t step into something as trivial as being jealous, we will make concessions and take turns.”

“… I don’t know…” He sighs scratching the back of his neck, “It sounds easier for all of you than me… like a lot of pressure… will I be able to be enough for the three of you?”

“Pffft…” Subaru muffled laughter with both hands and smiled up to him, “We aren’t going to be in a harem or anything of the sort, Takumi you dumbhead.”

Takumi tilted his head aloof of her comment, “Then… how is it going to be?”

“Like any other relationship, where one takes care of the other, one protects the other and… where one loves the other,” Fubuki narrates playing with her finger, “We aren’t asking you to be devoted to the three of us while getting nothing in exchange, we do want you, but it doesn’t mean that you have to burn yourself in the process,” The fox giggles when facing Subaru and Takumi, “And we definitely aren’t going to be part of a harem for you, don’t ever think about that again.”

“So… what do you say?”

They picked out the empty cups and plates from the kotatsu and between the four cleaned the kitchen and living room. As the hours faintly pass by with the absence of a reply from the man, the girls barricaded inside of Mio’s room as a sign of both anger and embarrassment due to Takumi’s doubts and judgment. And when noon hits on the clock, they all come out wearing their signature clothes, “Takumi, we need to get going… come to say goodbye at least please!” The wolf shouted inside the house unaware of the man’s whereabouts, together with Fubuki and Subaru moved to the receiver, checking they had brought their makeup and wallets before start to envelop their bodies in layers of cloth.

“This is a surprise, I never thought of him as a coward…” Fubuki huffs in disappointment while shoving an arm through a sleeve of her jacket.

“He’s not… a coward, we just, told him too many things to think about, maybe we’re asking too much by hoping he answer us today,” Subaru stutters trying to defend the man, but Fubuki just glances back at her with condescension.

“The year is going to end in a matter of hours; he doesn’t have much time to think about it…” But as the voice of fox was escalating with anger, she shook her head trying to regain composure, “Honestly geez, of all people I could have feelings for.”

Slowly trudging through the hall, Takumi’s silhouette appeared. With a bright red face he reunited with the girls while looking downwards the floor the entire time; then when lifting his face, he ran towards Mio, and grabbing her by the shoulders he shouted his reply.

“Hehe, why so shy all of a sudden, c’mon, you’re fretting too much, is the first day of the year, relax!” Mio giddily teases the man wrapping her with his arms, with the fox and the long-haired girl to each side; the four were waiting in line to hit the New Year’s bell in the shrine near the neighborhood. With a childish grunt, the wolf-girl was cuddling with him, making Takumi grow anxious with her mannerism, not only because the other two were giving him pouting expressions while slowly drawing closer to him, but because both Mio and Fubuki’s ears and tails were showing in front of everyone, and to top the cherry the three were wearing their personalized kimonos, “Ah, nothing beats your warmth,” She persists on her playful tone, swinging her tail around.

“Is barely one in the morning, and you three want to give me a heart attack,” He stutters with annoyance, trying to take deep breaths, and advance with the rhythm of the line without being a nuisance for the people in front and behind them, “Aren’t you girls going too far? You’re so exposed right now, what if-” He attempted to start on a lecture, but Fubuki silenced him with a gesture of her right.

“For my fur, when are you going to stop being such a handful of nerves? You’re disappointing me geez,” She complains with a growl, standing to the left of the man over the deep darkness of a new year, gently illuminated by the lamps of the shrine, she stares over the crowd of people and smiles, “Just look at everyone carefully, would you? Everyone is on their own business, everyone came with their family, or friends or lovers, nobody cares about celebrities or stars, they’re using their phones but they aren’t taking pictures of us and… see?” Fubuki stopped to wave a little boy who was passing by and recognized her, the white girl’s smile growing bigger, “For this night only, what everyone wants to do is share their excitement for a new year, so stop worrying ok? Tomorrow no one is going to remember we were here.”

“… Fair enough,” The man nods and accepts her explanation, lessening the tension on his jaw and wrapping tighter on the wolf, caressing her hair and kissing her forehead, “But honestly, I didn’t think any of you would come back tonight, it made me happy to see you coming home.”

“Were you… watching us?” Subaru on the right shyly asks the man, leaning her head on his shoulder with reluctance.

“Yes I did, it was a fun stream,” Takumi replied kissing the top of her head, making Subaru make a tiny jump of surprise, “I can’t get enough of you and this new hairstyle, is almost hypnotizing me,” He explains in a sweet tone of voice, the girl hiding her shame on his arm by tightly holding on it.

“Hey, a little bit of love over here too don’t you think?” Fubuki snarls and pulls on his sleeve, “You didn’t even thank me for calming you down.”

Takumi chuckled at her pouty voice, releasing Mio and with a fast movement of his arms he squeezed the three into a hug and smooches Fubuki’s cheek, “Weren’t you one of the people who said no one was going to get jealous of the other?” 

“I just meant that we wouldn’t fall in catfights for being with you,” She stutters looking aside, “And you should be grateful to even let you see my jealous side, so stop teasing me… and kiss me again,” Fubuki finishes with a pouty face.

“There, there, it sure is precious to see your jealous side, a New Year blessing even,” Takumi tells as he replies to her request with another gentle kiss, the other two making fun of the fox. With a harmonious order, Subaru made a long yawn of exhaustion, a gesture followed from left to right by Mio and Fubuki, this time the man was the one made laugh, “Huh… you girls sure are tired, you spent a long day working after all if you want we can go back home you know?”

“No, no, no!” Mio was the first to reject his offer, quickly turning to face him and waving her hands with a fixed expression, “We promised we would join you today, no worry, no worry at all!” She forced a giggle as the other girls copied her gesture.

“You say that but…” Takumi meditates on her acting, staring with detail in the way her tail perks up behind her kimono, “When your tail goes like that, is because you’re lying you know? Not that I’m going to push you over a confession,” He raises his head and gives a look to the stall near the entrance of the shrine, “Since we are all here, why don’t we just relax? Forget the bell, let’s drink some Amazake and buy our year fortunes, my treat,” He explains with a smile and tries to take the girls out of the line, yet the three stiffens their bodies against his touch and pull him back on the line, “… Uh?”

“No, you wanted for all of us to ring the bell and we are going to do it, we promised!” Subaru shouts and waves in the same way the wolf did before, “We can get the Amazake ourselves, right Fubuki?”

“Y-yeah!” The fox replied bringing a little coin purse and a smartphone from the right sleeve of her kimono, “I’ll go get some for us, so wait in line ok? … Oh, God is almost two in the morning now,” She worriedly shows the clock on the screen to the other two girls, but as Takumi frowns, she quickly feigns a smile, “Anyway, let me get those drinks!”

“But if it were about just buying drinks, I wouldn’t have offered to walk out of the line you know?” The man bitterly spouts as he looks at the fox trotting away, “And that thing from a second ago, as I suspected, you’re lying about something right?” He implies with his hands gently holding the top of Mio and Subaru’s heads, yet with an aggressive pitch at the end, “What is that you’re hiding from me? Why are you girls worrying about the hour?”

“Eh?! No reason at all! You’re just overthinking things!” Subaru hurries for an excuse, trembling at the feeling of the man’s fingers tightening on her scalp.

“No, Subaru, wait a moment,” The wolf adds with a calmer tone, “I don’t think is fair we’ll be lying to him,” She sighs with a sad look and turns to Takumi, “The truth is… we shouldn’t be here… we spent _hours_ at the end of year broadcast and tomorrow there are even more things to do, we are stuffed with work, and the more we spent here wasting time, the less time of sleep we’ll have before going out to the studio.” With her shoulders loosening as she confesses their situation, Mio finishes talking with a distressful moan.

“ _Wasting time_ you say, I see…” He quotes her bittersweet.

“Oh… just, I’m sorry, wrong choice of words.”

“Na’ah you dumbhead, you clearly said this was a waste of time!”

“Subaru, on which side are you oh my God!”

“Here comes the Amazake! I got lucky and they gave me from the warmest batch!” Fubuki reappeared a couple of minutes later with her hands stuffed with steaming paper cups just to find the mood in the group had suddenly dropped, “C’mon… what happened now? Can’t I leave for five minutes without anything getting messed up?” The girl complains with bitterness as she gives a cup to each one.

While everyone took a moment to sip on the sweet and thick beverage, Subaru quietly updated Fubuki on what they were talking about. Takumi was the first to finish on the boiling drink, and making a long shrug looking at the girls he spoke, “If you hurry, you can reach Subaru’s place and sleep there, is the place closest to the city and studio, right?” His comment startled them and immediately provoked sad expressions on them, “No, no, it’ll be alright, I mean it if you need to rest and sleep who am I to stop you? “ He insists taking turns to caress the faces of the three, “I did suggest for us to come to the shrine and spend the first day of the year together, but it was only a suggestion, don’t worry, I’m used to this, you girls’ job comes first and… If I really have to be honest,” He held on the cup with both hands, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, slowly opening them and showing a face empty of emotion, “We should straight up forget about things like these, Christmas, New Year, birthdays, Valentine, all those things, we are never going to be able to spend those days together, that’s the kind of job your girls have, and we need to get along with that fact,” Takumi shrugs one more time, “Is how things are, at least in our case, but is not the end of the world, the faster we realize that the better for our relationship.”

“Takumi… you said _our relationship_!” Subaru gasps excitedly.

“Eh, that’s the part that got you? And it lifted your humor even,” Fubuki snaps with sarcastic surprise.

“Anyway!” The man interrupted their quips and tried to regain the conversation, “If you go now, you still will have plenty of time to sleep, c’mon, go, go!” He gestured with his hand as if telling them to fly away with a funny tone of voice. At first, the girls did their best not to laugh at his expressions, but their fixed lips and the way they dragged their feet on the cold floor holding the desire to run away from the shrine was speaking for them, “See? You want to go and rest! Go ahead, seriously, you’ll regret later when you’re in the studio and can’t even stand from tiredness.”

“Takumi, thank you… we’ll make it up for this I promise!” The fox bounced repeatedly before taking on her phone and running away, ready to make a call, “I will get us an Uber very quickly! See you guys at the entrance!”

“Ah, Fubuki wait for me!” Subaru shouts to the girl, leaping away from the grasp of Takumi, looking back at him suffocating a scream of anger; ran back to the man and made a little jump to kiss on his cheek, “S-see you later! We’ll try to compensate for it!”

“And… that only leaves you,” He speaks like a scolding teacher, holding on the tips of Mio’s ears, “You got quiet all of a sudden, and I’ve known you for enough time to understand you feel guilty for leaving me here, but I mean it, is ok so…”

The wolf nods with a mourning expression and caressing his hands back to release her ears. Taking on his left hand she started to silently walk away, but she wouldn’t let him go, extending their arms as much as possible, without looking back at him, holding on tightly to the tips of his fingers, she just wouldn’t let him go, “… Is it really always going to be like this?”

“Most likely, yes.”

“And, we are never going to be able to celebrate one of those special days together?”

“Yeah.”

“Not a Christmas together or New Years', no Valentine’s, not anything?”

“You and the girls are going to be busy every time, so no.”

“And you’re ok with it? It doesn’t bother you at all?”

“Those are two different questions Mio,” He chuckles awkwardly, “But if we can’t celebrate those special days together, we’ll just have to make special days for ourselves, you know what they say,” He took on her wrist and pulled her back, making her trip over his chest Takumi stole a kiss from her lips, “ _Life finds a way_ , we just have to do a little more of effort than the rest of people, but it’ll be as special as the others.”

“Hehe, finally, I get to see the charming Takumi in this New Year,” She giggled innocently, caressing his chest and kissing him back, “Thank you for being so strong, we’ll call you as soon as we get to know when we are going to be free ok?” She kissed him one more time; then leaped out of the line of people to catch with the other two in the entrance.

“She thinks I’m strong…?” The man mutters with sarcasm as he sees the wolf disappear between the crowd, rubbing the back of his neck and huffing in annoyance, “Well, a lot of people told me this was going to happen in a relationship like this… Guess I have no other solution but to be strong, do I?” Halting on his narration the moment he realizes the people in line are listening to him, he gestures an apology to the strangers and advances with the line, “ _Maybe I should buy their fortunes after this.”_

With the frost of winter giving fight through the weeks, nobody notices January dying into February. And one cold night of deep dark, blue sky, time was frozen mercilessly once again. Twenty centimeters of snow, making it impossible to distinguish the streets from the sidewalks, the ceilings of buildings and houses frosted with brilliant white, and the breeze strong enough to freeze even the hottest blooded people, or that’s what the atmosphere would make you think; yet at the end of a familiar house, violent sounds of lust were being slightly heard from its walls. As it was a forbidden spectacle show, two girls were observing the couple heating the inside of the room with the steam of their body sweat and permeate the air with the smell of their love fluids. Corrupting the mood of the night by overloading the five senses of the spectators with the savage act of sex, Fubuki and Subaru were quietly sitting on wooden chairs inside the room, first line to watch with amaze a side of the wolf they had never seen before. 

Mio was holding Takumi’s hands and interlacing fingers, entirely naked and sitting on his lap at the edge of the bed. As if there were only the two of them, she shook her hips in circles while releasing a certainly nasty giggle, looking back with delight at the face of pleasure from the man holding her teasing, the tip of her tail seductively caressing below his chin, Mio took his hands on the air, and slightly curled when lifting her rear, closing her eyes she continued to move on her own, with an aggressive and assertive attitude, jumping on his meat for her own pleasure, closing the gap between her legs, and gripping on his hands, each minute faster and savage, moaning without restraining while Takumi did his best to keep her pace between grunts and clenching teeth. “M-Mio… are you always like this with him?” Fubuki asks her while being all curled up on the chair, biting her lower lip with envy and surprise.

“Ehehe… Is just that it has been so long… Uhm! And is kind of exciting if you both are watching! I’ve never heard Takumi make these noises, hey, are enjoying it too?” She asks between loud and obscene pants when looking back at him and the squishing noise of her crotch being penetrated, never stopping on the way she bounces over his lap.

“Enough… Enough!” He moans releasing from her fingers, with the fast movement of his hands and fueled by lustful rage, Takumi took on her left shoulder and held the base of her tail with the right, pressing her down against him, changing the rhythm for one of his control, “What happened with not wanting to do this with everyone at the same time?!”

“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!” Being obligated to respond with her hips to the change of thrusts, Mio is overwhelmed by the new lead, and the room is drowned from her ascending screams of pleasure, leaving speechless the other two girls, as her breasts jiggle and her rear moves like a separated part of her body, the slapping sounds increasing with a nasty deafening volume, “T-T-T-T-Takumi! Slow down! I’m cumming so slow down! I can see sparkles on my head! Takumi!”

“Mio… Takumi…” Subaru mutters incredulous of the scene, clutching her legs and fixing her hair with heavy breathing, a drop of sweat falling from her forehead.

The man switched hand positions once again, clenching his teeth like a vigorous beast in the spring off, he pulled her rear up with both hands from the base of her tail, and as she screamed uncontrollably, Takumi was the one now going in and out of the wolf with violence, “Argh, you’re always driving me crazy! I’m so close!”

“Let me go! Do it and let me go!” She managed to voice in the very last second, begging for it, desiring it. As Fubuki and Subaru stopped at the edge of their chairs, leaning to observe closely until the last moment, Mio flopped out of his meat with the gushing sound of a mop being scrubbed against the floor, danced to be face to face and let her weight and the numbness of her legs allow her to kneel in front of him, gulping half of him and firmly taking his sack, letting the man release a burst of white inside her mouth with a howl. With the intensity slowly dying as both reached the climax, Takumi's expression and temper come back with each exhalation, and Mio does too, carefully swallowing his essence, and caressing his meat with nurturing love. Several gulps of his fluids, she finally pulled Takumi out of his mouth with a – Puah! – Sound, cleaning her chin from saliva and sperm with her left hand, happily waving her tail and going back to slurp on his member two more times, gulping down again and with her strength regained, the wolf-girl stood back on her feet, turning towards the girls with a corrupted smile, “Ah… That was shameful of mine, wasn’t it? I’m sorry! I didn’t plan to scare you, girls!” She apologizes reuniting both hands at the height of her naked chest, “I guess got too high on the feeling, it has been so long since we did it, I just wanted you both to get a peek of how it would be to be with him… hehe.”

But the girls didn’t know what to answer in a situation like that, and with the musk of sex vanishing from the air and common sense and shame slapping everyone back to their senses, the naked ones dressed up, and everyone abandoned the habitation. Mio searched for a towel in the closet of the hallway and left the group to take a bath on her own, meanwhile, Fubuki and Takumi were in the kitchen, one brewing coffee and the other waiting on the table, and Subaru, sulking and still with a bright face asked for a little of space then ran inside the kotatsu of the living room to watch TV. “Do you want a cup too? Or are you planning to… You know,” Takumi shyly implies when lining up mugs from the stalls near the coffeemaker.

“Your after-sex personality is honestly so cute oh my God,” Fubuki giggles entertained by the man’s blush, waving her tail, “But yes, I’m considering it, so please serve me a cup,” She nods and rests her face on her hands, humming when glancing at the shirtless man on the kitchen, “Although I was expecting you to be a bit madder, we haven’t been keeping to the promises we were trying to hold and…” Her tone unexpectedly grows serious, “I was a bit concerned you would feel used and… froze like you did the other day.”

“I’m definitely disappointed with you all for not keeping on the most essential parts like you said you would,” He sighs when looking at her, swinging his right index with a judgmental tone which makes Fubuki’s ears turn down in guilt, he searched for the pot of sugar and with a little plastic spoon he started to fill three cups, glancing to the half-asleep Subaru on the living room, he didn’t prepare the fourth mug, “But the memory of showing to all of you my patheticness that day purses me up to now still and is a part of me I don’t want to show again, I don’t want to _freeze_ again, so I’m trying to not roundabout these thoughts and be as mature as possible.”

“So you say… but even if you were to freeze again, no one of us would think of you as pathetic,” Subaru interrupted him from afar, clearly listening to his lecture, she replied with a drowsy tone, hiding her reddish cheeks by looking at the TV, “If I were to see you on that state again… I would… hug you… and I wouldn’t let you go until you feel better…”

“Aw c’mon, how can you be so smooth and so asleep at the same time? If you had given me enough time I would have said that!” Fubuki snarled with a pout, standing on the chair and slapping her hands on the table, the fox sighs and with a defeated mourn, she sits again, “But she’s not so off about what I, or any of us would do, we don’t want you to feel used… Though I have to admit I’ve been dying to… you know, do things all night together…” She admits and shrugs in embarrassment, rubbing her knuckles with a funny twist of lips, ears down.

“First of all… drink,” Takumi stutters as red as her, handing the fox-girl the cup boiling in the black beverage, “And if you’re still in the mood after that… then, me too so…” He suggests once again with his poorly made hints, the girl of white taking the handle with the left and warming her right hand by holding the cup with it, silently sipping on the drink, then looking at Subaru.

“You’re… okay with that right?” She asks with a crackly shout from the kitchen.

“Uhm… yup, I’m still… trying to process what I just saw and… I don’t think I’ll be able to stay awake, even after a cup of coffee so,” The long-haired girl replies all the time staring at the screen.

The moment Mio comes back all cleaned and warmed up, Takumi hands her the cup of coffee and whispers something into her ear. The wolf kisses his cheek with a nod and smile; then sticks closely to Subaru inside the kotatsu. In silence the man and the fox walked hand-to-hand, diving in the hallway back to the first floor where Fubuki held him before he could slide the door of the room, pushed him against the wall, and jumped on his neck to kiss him. “I’m boiling… if this was what Mio wanted to provoke then she succeeded, crap,” The girl confesses with a moanful tone as they kiss, her feet just hanging in the air by a couple of centimeters, Takumi grabs her by the waist with the right and tries one more time to open the door with the left, carefully bringing the girl tied to his neck inside the bedroom. 

Fubuki giggles when the man falls on purpose over the bed and their bodies bounce against each other, fixing her hair and caressing his face with hands, “You say that but you’re not as aggressive as her, more like _my pace_ going,” Takumi replies caressing her face back, sharing another kiss.

“Well, it no longer feels like I have to fight for your attention so, there’s no reason for me to let that ugly side of me show just to keep you interested…” She narrated with confidence and eloquence, swaying her head, but the more she thought about it the weaker her tone changed, “… Right? Or, maybe you’re expecting that I become that kind of person…?” The way her smile wore down showed fear and worry.

“Not at all, you don’t have to be like Mio, don’t ever think about comparing yourself to her or Subaru again ok?” He replies with tenderness, kissing her cheek and her lips, “If we ever feel like it then we’ll do it, but for now… what would you like to do?” Takumi asks now with a prickly smile.

“Well, I…” Fubuki bit her tongue a bit of a second, sparking in red and burying her face on his chest before replying, “If anything… I’d like to be as close to you as possible when we do it… like this…” She stutters fully ashamed of her thoughts, her nails poking his abdomen, “Your… your body is so big and hard, just being embraced by your arms feels so good, so I want you to keep me close all the time… ok?”

“As you wish…” He answers and kisses her again, the girl quickly holding his cheeks to kiss him back, starting to open her mouth to share her tongue and saliva, while Takumi carefully takes her lower-half clothes off. Making the fox sit over his stomach for a moment, he took off her shirt and bra next, caressing her right shoulder, massaging with his whole hand all the way down through her back to the hips, then made her lie belly up over him, surrounding her chest below the ribs with his entire left arm, kissing her neck and starting on the foreplay with a couple of fingers.

“Ah… tch… ah…!” Fubuki hissed tensing up, with a frowning expression her nails were starting to dig on Takumi’s arm the more he played with her entrance and pushed his fingers inside. “T-this is… as I thought this is embarrassing! How much of this is needed?” She wonders while panting, but Takumi remains silent when his finger scraps on her insides, “No… ah! I don’t want to cum so fast, do it slower!” She shouts with surprise at the electric shock it made her feel, moaning like a puppy, ashamed by the way her legs jumped and kicked whenever he reached a sweet spot inside her flesh.

“I’d say down here you’re ready to go but…” He meditated with unexpected seriousness, removing his fingers, and using the same hand to take off his shorts, hold on his member, and stroke his tip, using the same two fingers and mixing it with his own fluids. As the fox breathing fastened when looking down on him, Takumi brought his hand back and placed it over the height of her lips, “You’re still quite tense, why don’t you have a taste so we can get in the mood?”

“Y-you… you have to be kidding… that’s… it smells so strong…” Fubuki shook her head with a whimper, taking on his wrist with both hands fearing he would shove those fingers inside her mouth, but the more she inhaled on the mix the more her field of vision became blurry and her hands trembled, “Hah… That’s actually… making me feel good all of a sudden… just with the smell…” Before she could notice it herself Fubuki was licking the tip of his fingers, and loosening the grip of her hands she began to suck on the fingers, all the way inside her mouth, licking it and slobbering them.

“Good girl, since you want it to do it closely, is it ok to be over you?” He asks as he moves and carries the weakened girl in his arms, slowly placing her on the bed.

“N-no! Not that way, because… it would make me feel like you’re doing the entire job,” She tells back with ears down, using her tail to hide her face, “Can I… sit on your lap? Like you did with Mio but… facing each other.”

“… Heh, is great that you can be so honest, sometimes I get really lost you know?” He chuckles with a sweet voice, extending his hand for her to take it; then help her to get up, and guide Fubuki to his legs, “Alright, hold on tight… upsy-daisy!” Takumi warns her as his arms go below her thighs and with one sweep he lifts her up from the legs, startling the girl who hurries to grab his shoulders and hides her surprise by resting her face on his neck.

“O-oh God… it feels like my heart is going to stop… eep!” She makes another acute whimper when feeling his tip kissing the entrance of her crotch, each second redder, breathing each time faster, licking on her lips reminiscing the taste of the meat which is slowly penetrating her insides, her hands losing the grip on his shoulders repeatedly, there’s a long, long, silent moan when her rump touches his thighs, and the fox has completely sat over him, “T-Takumi… I’m so sorry… I don’t think I’ll be able to… it-it feels so good I can’t think… everything’s going blank, Takumi…” She cries in pleasure and despair, her legs suddenly tightening around the man in a way her knees smack his ribs, biting on his shoulder with remorse, “N-no… no!” She mourned regretfully; her entire body was shaking in the spasms of her climax, “I’m so sorry…”

“Is ok dear, really…” He caresses her back, looking with pleasantness at the way her tail swings in an arrhythmical way, huffing through his mouth with furrowed brows each time the girl’s walls clamp around his member, “But you know…? Is ok if you can’t move right now, I don’t mind if you can’t help, I’ll make it fun for the two,” Takumi explained with a cheerful tone, ruffling the top of her head and kissing on her cheek, he grabbed her by the buttocks and proceed to an artificial pounding by lifting her up and down, he kept breathing through his mouth, gulping saliva with a painful face, “Fubuki… you got so tight after it is making me insane!”

The girl couldn’t reply, only blabbering was coming out of her mouth. Incomprehensible noises as the fox lost total control of her limbs, her jaw cackling with the pace of his thrusts, her fingers slipping from his shoulders, and struggling to hold on him again, yet her legs had made a tight lock on his back by tying her ankles together. A couple of tiny tears sliding down her nose, her drool dripping over his chest, gushing sounds produced from up and down of her body, “Haaah… a-again… Ta-mi… happening… again…!” She cried with narrowed eyes, shrugging on his neck with her tail shrieking on her second climax.

“This is amazing… you’re so amazing!” His pants no longer able to keep it cool, “I can feel you… ok, just go ahead… I’m going to cum too, ah, Fubuki I need to pull it out!”

“Noooo, I don’t wanna!” She shook her head like a little child, tightening the lock “Do me inside, inside!”

“Damn it all, Fubuki!” He screamed with a grunt, strongly hugging her with both arms as his pelvis twisted inside of her with each shoot, for at least four times, both him and the girl groaning like animals feeling the internal pulsations of the other, “Fubuki… Fubuki…” The man called on her name, begging for the girl to look back at him, the fox understood the tone of his claims and glanced at him, her face was a mess of sweat and saliva, they kissed with violence yet without using the tongue, lying together on the bed, softly caressing each other bodies, “Haha… you called me _Tami_ back there…”

“Yes I did… ah how embarrassing…” She mourned with a pinch of red on her cheeks, kissing his chest and moving up to his neck and cheek, “But it sounds cute… I think; I’ll call you _Tami_ from now on, my handsome Tami...”

“Taku…! Over here! I’m over here!” Several days later on a sunny Wednesday, Subaru meets with the man on a plaza of the city, in front of a karaage stall. She was wearing a colorful shoulderless fleece sweater, a long skirt blue jean skirt, and a beret on the top of her long black hair. Thanking the lady of the stall while receiving a croquette on each hand, juggling with the hot piping snacks to don’t burn her hands until the man appears in front of her, “The one on my left is of fish and… this one is of beef! Which one do you want?” Subaru offers him with a smirk.

“I’ll take the beef one,” Takumi replies carefully taking the treat from her hand, and biting a little corner to release the bomb of smoke from it, “Because you know? When you’re in the middle of a date, having fish breath is not a good idea.”

“Ah!” Subaru gasps all red looking at the croquette on her hand, then pouts and smacks his chest with her free hand, “You fool! If you knew that then you should have chosen the fish one!”

“Fine, want us to change?” He implies with a gesture of the arm in which he was holding the half bitten food, but Subaru just went redder and shook her head, he made a sneer on her behalf and extended his other hand, in silence they took a stroll around the plaza and inside a boulevard.

Between crunchy munches of the salty breading and their hand-holding messing with playful fingers, the couple wasn’t bothered by the cold, and they even were obtaining a couple of jealous looks from the passerby strangers. Subaru lifts her head to observe him with her mouth stuffed in fried fish, her mind swimming in different thoughts yet all of them have the same effect of producing her cheeks to explode with red, she swallowed the rest of the treat in three big bites, filling her mouth to the point of inflating her cheeks and burn her tongue as if hoping it would distract her from her daydreaming, the man gave her a quizzical look as she draws near him on their walk with her face literally releasing smoke. “Say Taku…” She shyly mutters, licking the leftover salt from the tips of her fingers and cleaning the rest on the fabric of her skirt, “When we get back to my place… do you feel like doing it?”

To her surprise their roles switched for a couple of seconds, as the man choked on the bite of beef he was trying to swallow, smacking his chest and stopping on the middle of the sidewalk confused about breathing or swallowing. “You what?!” He manages to ask after finally gulping down the piece of meat.

“Is that a no?” She asks with an acute hoarse voice, caressing his back with worry, “It has been… a lot since we’ve been together, and, you only have done it with Fubuki and Mio…” Subaru stops for a second looking down, “Is it because you don’t feel that way for me? I’m… not sexy?”

“Wait no, is not anything about that, God it feels like a bit of the croquette went into my lungs,” He complains with little forced coughs, fixing the neck of his shirt unable to come with a fast answer to the questions she’s piling upon his head.

“T-then… is it because I’m not daring enough…?” This time one of her hands takes on his left wrist, and the other slightly pull on the middle of the cleavage of her sweater, as she poorly fakes a seductive smile, “Should I show you… how good am I at this? W-we can go into an alley and I’ll show you, I’ve been practicing how to give you a… good head so-“

“Alright that’s enough,” Takumi stopped her midway and held her wrist back, with an angry face and a grunt he pulled the girl to the other side of the boulevard into another, until he sighted a bench in a corner void of people and made her sat in it. Scratching the back of his neck, the man had become a handful of nerves, looking at her while walking in circles in the same place, finding the bravery to voice his thoughts about the theme. Then he suddenly sat beside her and made the bench tremble a little, holding on his knees his lips were shaking, “Subaru if I have to be honest with you… I haven’t made any movement with you because I feel guilty,” He spouts fast and nervous, gulping down to continue, “Mio told me that… this whole new you was… my fault, your hair, and your clothes, even though your personality hasn’t changed much, your exterior did because of me and, every time I think about it I, I don’t know what is that I should do about it.”

Subaru stood mute for an entire minute at the end of his explanation and gradually started to shake as laughter invaded her body, with her hair falling between her shoulders she hides her smile with the palm of her right, happily waving her legs. “Your fault…? Your fault! A part of me has been waiting for so long that you say this is your fault!” Her laughter grows louder and dastard, her beret falling on the floor by the way her body curls just for an ashamed Takumi to pick it up on his sweaty hands, “And even though I’m so happy that you’re blaming yourself for it… this change wasn’t your fault, but my decision…” She snorts with a tear running from her cheek out of the amusement he gave her, taking deep and loud breaths of air to calm down, “I wanted to change for you Taku, but even if it was for you, it was _me_ who took the decision… to think that was the reason why you were holding back, ah, thank you,” The girl halts when he hands her the beret back, and Subaru takes the chance to close the gap between the two and lean her weight against his body, looking up to him with puppy eyes, “Please stop being so dumb and get a clue, Taku, I… I want you to touch me… this itching feeling is making me feel so strange and I… kisses are not being enough, Taku, I want to get rid of this feeling already and be ok again.”

His arms doubted at first, but wrapped the girl in his arms and gave her a small kiss over the lips. “Very well, I’ll be a better boyfriend starting now, and I’ll answer to your ur… to your wishes,” Takumi says and kisses her again, then stands up and makes her follow him in the process, “But now, we’ll go to Mio’s place, and let her do something about this hair of yours.”

“Why did you have to make her hair so short? She looks so hot she’s stealing all his attention now!” Fubuki loudly whispers to the wolf, as they get an envious look at the naked shape of a new Subaru, with her hair cut in a pixie style with bangs, shorter than ever before. The girl was sitting on her knees over the mattress of Fubuki’s room, the four had arranged a sporadic meeting in the fox’s place, and she was making out with the man on the bed, naked just like her, the other two were lying over his legs, cooperating together to slobber on his meat, “And just who the hell cuts their hair so short in the middle of winter uh?!” Fubuki questions again but this time her jealousy was stronger, and she stood on the palm of her hands with drool on her chin and an angry twist of lips.

“I wasn’t sure too, because is winter right?” Subaru begins to reply her ignoring the attitude in which she made the question, separating her mouth from the man while surrounding his neck with a playful giggle, looking at the fox with a defiant and mature expression when kissing on Takumi’s neck, “But if I get cold these months, I’ll just have run into Taku’s arms, don’t I?” She giggled maliciously.

“Urgh, I can’t stand this favoritism!” Fubuki snaps and points at him with the index, “You have two hot girls sucking down on you at the same time yet you’re paying more attention to her, is not fair!” Her face was red now for a different reason, her chest contracting and expanding violently.

“Ah… I wasn’t going to say anything about it but, ugh, a hair,” Mio spouts taking a little pube from her tongue with her nails, coughing and sitting on her legs, “You know what I think about sucking you off Takumi, I don’t do it for free, and it makes me feel weird when you’re only paying attention to Subaru.”

“Then let’s trade!” Subaru shouts replying in place of Takumi, pointing to herself with a thumb, “I want to try too! And you can kiss him in the meanwhile, that’s ok for both of you right?”

“Give me, give me, give me, give me!” Fubuki shouts with trembling desire and shaky hands as if she had been offered a brick of gold, the girl jumped on his chest as Subaru pulled back with surprised laughter, “Tami…! Tami kiss me, look at me!” The fox limiter had broken and her lust was being shown in public, caressing his face with adoration and obsession, kissing with him, “Ah… Ah! Tami your hand… wait! Uh…!” She bit on the corner of his shoulder; Takumi had quietly shoved his right hand inside her crotch, scrapping her with the middle finger.

“Don’t force yourself ok? You don’t really have to do this,” Mio lectures the playful short-haired girl crawling on her knees to meet with his member.

“Is okay! I want to try at least once and see if I like it or not!” Subaru replied energetic, making the wolf giggle.

“This is the Subaru I know and love… I guess? This is still a new part of you I didn’t know, but it seems you’re back to your old self,” The animal-girl expresses with a relaxed sigh, kissing Subaru on the cheek and sharing a naked hug with the girl. When Subaru finally lies down on the bed and begins to curiously and maliciously play with Takumi’s foreskin, Mio crawls to meet with him and Fubuki, poking on his cheek to stop kissing the fox and look at her, “It looks like these two put you nicknames, aren’t you the popular guy now? But don’t forget about me…” She expresses bittersweet, caressing his chest and looking deeply into her eyes, “Don’t make me feel lonely, Takumi.”

“I won’t let it happen, not for a single day,” He whispers with the same melancholy in her voice, kissing her softly, the wolf joining with Fubuki in the making out session, receiving in exchange Takumi’s left hand between her legs, “You’re my Mio… no one can replace the way you make me feel,” The man says after another kiss, both girls happily waving her tails and stretching their legs, moving their hips following the swing of his fingers, and from below, Subaru’s curiosity had her globbering and stroking his meat with both hands.

As the session of unworldly desires continued, they prepared the main dish. “I’m starting to feel the favoritism again…” Fubuki complained with a little pout, sitting on her legs and facing Takumi as he penetrated Subaru who was lying on the bed next to her left, with a smile from ear to ear and filling the room with noises of nasty giggles of pleasure each time he pounded inside of her. He caressed her face with a hypnotized look, and Subaru kept smiling and rubbing her cheek against his palm, taking her arm with both hands and releasing short, angelical moans of pleasure from each time he pushed it in.

“To be honest, not even I can take my eyes off her,” Mio confesses lying to the other side of the girl, shyly caressing her stomach, and kissing on her shoulder, “Is even starting to make me think weird things, Subaru, you’re just so cute,” The girl confesses pulling closer of her, releasing her restrains one by one, her kisses approaching closer to her chest, yet she blushes on deep red when looking at the erect nipples of her friend and pulls back, taking on Subaru’s hand, and kissing the back of her palm.

They traded places one more time, this turn it was the chance of the fox. The animal-girl was being pounded in all fours, her rear lift all the way up while her head rested on Subaru’s lap, Mio embracing Takumi by the chest, kissing with the man as he penetrated the other. With Subaru observing the white-haired girl moan on her legs with a sweet smile, she fixed the hair off Fubuki’s face and tenderly played with it, looking up with the same smile at the way Takumi’s hips moved in and out, and at Mio tongue kissing with the man, “… You know…? This is definitely weird,” She spouts absentmindedly, yet with honest satisfaction in her voice, but her comment completely stops the mood of the room, and makes everyone burst into awkward laughter, “I… I mean!” The girl shouts all red, trying to silence them by speaking up, Takumi pulls it out of Fubuki, and the fox snuggles on the short-haired girl legs, looking up to her with a smirk, waiting for her to continue, the man and wolf sitting close, “Is just… yes, this is definitely weird, being all of us together but… that’s not what I meant… is not weird in the way that is the four of us… but weird in the way that, at least me… I don’t feel uncomfortable about it and, I don’t feel like is something gross or to be ashamed about it… is weird! I’m here naked being Fubuki’s pillow, we are all naked and I don’t feel disgusted at all, hehe… is like we are some kind of family, it makes me feel calm and… happy, really happy, I’m glad we are all together.”

After that interruption, they couldn’t get back on the mood, but the four spend the rest of the night talking anything and everything, cuddling against the other under the blankets of the same bed. On the next morning Takumi woke up on the floor, the girls had kicked him out on their sleep; he stumbled to get up on his feet, massaging his back which seemed to have absorbed the fall. The blanket was half-spread on the floor, he sighed and picked it up from one corner, fixing it properly over the three of them, Fubuki with a small smile and her head leaning against a peacefully and drooling Mio, who at the same time was hugging Subaru, snoring with an opened mouth, Takumi caressed their heads and kissed Mio’s nose, leaving them together on the bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another polyamorous ending, this one with a different chemistry from "A Fantasy". The shrine bell is rung 108 times, and is always done before the coming of a new year, and not after it like I wrote it (For narration's sake) To eat while walking is also of bad manners in Japan (That was also for narration's sake). Happy new year everyone, as of this moment there's just 3 Endings left, Luna's, Rushia's, and Marine. (Then the third part of this project will finally end, but don't forget I'm open to suggestions, if they're convincing enough)


	10. The Piano Recital (Himemori Luna's Happy Ending)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could translate all this Chapter into Japanese and share it with her, but I'm still too inexperienced for such a task.

In the late middle-half of January, a certain music school for kids in Tokio has restarted its activities for the New Year. At the noon of another cold day, the teachers take a break in the professors’ lounge room as the youngest kids are taken by their parents back home, so they have time to prepare for the high school students coming after the end of their classes. 

Despite the name of _‘lounge’_ , the room wasn’t fancy or spacious. Mildly average, yet clean and tidy, with even a proper corner for a small kitchen, sink and counter with seasoning supplies and other utensils, a coffeemaker, and a large thermos to keep tea water warm. Every noon the teachers will reunite and brag or complain about their day, sitting over a small round plastic table to eat together or walk out to the terrace for a smoke break. On that day, Takumi was being scolded by Kazumi, as one sat to eat a couple of sandwiches with a bottle of tea and the other was having a full home-made lunch box respectively. They were the only ones on the table as another couple of women who had finished their classes were in the smoking-room sharing a loud and idly chit-chat.

“Hey, can I know why the ruckus… oh, it’s you two,” A thin and tall man of short black hair and glasses says with disappointment on his face after opening the lounge’s door, “Why are you fighting for now Kazumi? Let the man be.”

“Izumi, you tell him!” The woman replied pointing a finger to Takumi, “He’s an adult now; he shouldn’t be eating as if he were still in high school, what the hell are those sandwiches and tea? How is he going to stand the evening?”

“Ohm-mhmn!” Takumi engulfed an entire sandwich with one munch while keeping eye contact with her, just to make her angrier.

“It is exactly because he’s an adult he doesn’t need anyone to scold him about what he eats,” The man sighs and pulls a chair from the table to join the two and sit with a groan, massaging the temple of his forehead with the tips of his fingers and hissing as if he was suffering from a migraine, “Would you pipe down and eat in silence? I came here to catch a break and have some peace before the evening turn.”

“Uhm? What happened Izumi, your morning shift gave you trouble today?” Takumi asked with his mouth still full of bread, taking a gulp of tea to chug it all down, fueling the annoyance of the woman.

“For Pete’s sake…” Kazumi bitterly whispers; then turns her face to the other man, about to give him a lecture too, but the moment she sees him take off his glasses and release a lamenting sigh, she stops on mid-track and tightly holds on her chopsticks, “… Izumi, what happened? You should be the one with less work this month, weren’t you the one who picked to give particular classes?”

“Yeah I did,” He huffs with sarcasm a gives a look of exhaustion, “I did and I’m regretting it… I honestly don’t know what to do, I never felt this frustrated with a student, and I kind of feel guilty for it too.”

“What is it, do they don’t want to listen to your lessons?” Kazumi question next as the man immediately nods.

“Either she doesn’t listen to me or does a mess when she finally follows my instructions, then blames me for it,” Izumi tells them as his eyes swing erratically staring at the invisible memories of his story flash in front of his face.

“How old is that girl even? Are you giving particular classes to an elementary school kid?” Takumi middles in the interrogatory.

“About that, I’m not sure, to be honest?” He shrugs with fixed lips in the most sarcastic way he could find, confusing the two entirely, “I mean, she's quite tiny and has a big round face… but she also looks as if she were in her twenties, does her age matters anyway, the point here is that she’s a handful,” He sighs again, then gasps and turns to Takumi, “You probably must know her, she’s a student your friend Siro recommended the school to take in, so she must be on that circle of people you frequent.”

“I do not,” The other replied dry and quickly as if he was being insulted, “I do know some Vtubers but is not like I have met every single one of them, you’re talking about them as if they were collection-able stickers and they aren’t.”

“The point is,” Izumi took back the conversation with a gesture of his hand, ignoring the tone in which Takumi was replying to him, “… Actually, I don’t know what the point is,” He stumbled on his words, stretched his body against the back of the chair, and yawned, “Part of this is my fault since it was recommended by Siro, I thought this girl would be a talent worth nourishing, but the only thing I have gotten from her is a headache.” He stood from his seat and looked to rinse in the sink a cup he took from the stall to later fill it coffee, taking a pause from his complaining Kazumi and Takumi went back to finish their lunch, waiting for the man to come back and continue, he put the mug of coffee over the table and sat back next, “I guess it is my fault since it was a Vtuber, I thought it was going to be different, but is like trying to teach a rebellious teenager and I honestly don’t get it… after all, they aren’t even humans right? Rumors say that Siro and all those people come from another world, isn’t it right?” He took a sip of his coffee waiting for an answer from Takumi, but the man chocked on the bread when hearing his rambling, smacking his chest with a closed hand and avoiding the eyes of Kazumi who looked at him with a _‘serves you right’_ expression, Izumi continued, “So as I was saying… since they all come from a different dimension or whatever, I thought this would be a great teaching experience for me but… That girl is just more of the same…” He stuttered with doubt of letting those thoughts out of his mouth, and by the sudden silence and despiteful looks his coworkers were giving to him, his doubt wasn’t off the mark, “C’mon, don’t look at me as if I were some kind of demon, those people are just so hard to get along with, they come to this country and barely know how to read kanji, and-“

“If you’re that predisposed,” Takumi interrupted him with a firm and serious tone before Izumi could continue with his ramblings and take a completely no-way return, “… If you’re that predisposed then let’s change, I’ll take your particular classes and you can take my turn of the month with the kids from elementary 3rd and the 2nd year high schoolers, they’re all good kids, so you won’t have a problem with them,” He narrates as a gentler voice grows from his throat, making the plastic wrap of the sandwiches into a ball and tossing it into a trash bin on a far corner of the lounge, “After all, if you continue with that attitude, none of you will benefit from it and…” Takumi pauses making a malicious grin, “Can you even imagine what would Siro do if she gets to know a friend she recommended, failed our course because the professor didn’t like her?”

“That… would be bad,” Izumi stuttered picturing the reaction of the white-haired woman, “Very well… Then, I’ll let the director know we changed turns for this month,” He sighed one last time, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he finally smiled with relief, “The girl is waiting in the piano room by the way.”

“W-what, Izumi, you left a student alone and came here to take a break?” Kazumi asks baffled by his last words, as she quotes the events that happened until now, the women on the terrace had come back and listened to the words of the other, for a silent moment, everyone was staring at him with incredulity.

“Please, don’t look at me that way, I told her she could go for lunch and take a pause but she didn’t listen, she has a special schedule, and she stays here to practice for at least eight hours,” Izumi raised both hands asking for clemency.

“Eight hours?! No wonder why you’re so tired, I at least will give you that,” Kazumi shout with wide eyes of surprise.

“Very well, I’ll go and check out, see ya,” Takumi said clapping his hands clean of bread crumbs, and after tossing the empty bottle on a different bin, he waved to the group and left the room. Climbing upstairs until the last floor, he stopped for a moment as he opened the door of the 5th floor, _“Wait… I didn’t even ask him about the name of this girl, does everyone really thinks that I just know all Vtubers around?”_ He wonders and frowns, then goes inside and turns left into the hall, _“A big round face but looks as if she were on her twenties… that description could fit anyone, even the ones I don’t know,”_ The man continues meditating as he approaches the door, then tightly holds on the knob and straightens his back with a quick mouth of air, _“Well, here it goes…!”_ He opened it firmly, trying to get ready for anyone on the other side of the room, and regardless he still got surprised by the familiar and unexpected small figure of pink hair.

 _“What’s with that man nanora, I just don’t get it; he didn’t have to say all that rude stuff, what’s with his attitude nanora? I also went and agreed with him though,”_ Luna was alone mourning a tantrum into the air, bitter about Izumi, with her cheeks inflated, her right hand on her left elbow and her left hand anxiously playing with a flock of her pink hair. The small girl was sitting over the bench of the piano, wearing a light pink fleece shoulderless sweater over a translucent sleeves black blouse to match with the tones, a long black skirt down to her ankles, and pink platform heels. The piano’s keys were messy with cookie crumbs as the girl was shamelessly having a snack over the instrument; she even had a bottle of cold tea dripping transpiration over the pin block, Takumi felt a sudden mix of anger and cold feet looking at the girl take a bite of a cookie and spread crumbs all over the keys on purpose, _“I hate this place so much nanora, why the agency had to sent me here nanora? That man is so mean to… me…”_ The girl finally broke with her toxic rant, looking up to the man, she tilts her head feeling incredulity when staring at him, she gulped down saliva, for some reason, the girl was scared, “Takun… Takumi?” Luna stuttered at first, gradually flustering as he walked to sit on the bench with her.

“Yo, Luna, long time no see,” He said bittersweet, placing a couple of music sheets over the pin block and later his hands on his knees.

“T-Takumi, what are you doing-” The girl attempted to ask, but he interrupted her right away.

“First things first,” He sighs filled with unpleasantness, “This piano here was a donation of Siro, it doesn’t even have a year, so would you mind not eat over it?”

“Ah!” The girl ignited full red in shame and proceed to nervously lick her fingers, sweep the crumbs from the keys over the palm of her right, shoved it all inside the plastic package, and save this inside her purse. Takumi silently aimed at the tea bottle with one finger, and Luna gleaming on crimson red and hasty respiration, almost spills the tea trying to take it back, looking for the lid to close it tight and place it down on the floor, “… Puff… Hah… D-done… I’m sorry nanora… I was just… so mad with that man…” She does her best to voice an explanation; the sudden stroke of shame quickly exhausted her.

“So you thought the best way to obtain revenge from him was by making piano pay the broken plates?” He changes gears and asks her with a playful tone and a swing of his finger, “Poor piano, he didn’t have anything to do with it, please apologize to him.”

“Ah…? U-uh, okay…” The girl frowned with doubt, and with a little pouty face she caressed the keys of the piano, “Piano, I’m sorry nanora…” Takumi instantly snorted and smacked his leg, Luna made a louder pout, “I knew it you were teasing me! Jeez!”

“That being done…” He giggles maliciously, clears his throat, and turns half his upper body to her, “Hello Luna, once again, long time no see.”

“I could say the same thing,” She clenched her fists to the height of her chest with an angered expression, “What are you doing here nanora? Are you having guitar classes here?”

“Not having them, giving them,” He replied with a small smile and a calmer tone, “I’m working as a teacher here.”

“As a teacher? Then…!” An idea sparked in her mind and she leaned closer to him, “Takumi I’m in trouble nanora! The man who is teaching me is-” He interrupted her once again, this time with a gesture of his right.

“You don’t have to worry about Izumi again,” He shook his head, “From now on, I’ll be the one giving you classes, from now on.”

“Really!? Yay!” Luna jumps from the bench and stands on the floor out of happiness with her signature childish giggle, “Wait, does that mean you beat the crap out of that man nanora?” She wonders while clumsily shadow boxing in the air.

“Of course not, but now that I know it was you the one he was treating so badly, I admit I kind of want to,” He chuckles scratching the back of his head, “Anyway, we don’t have to worry about him anymore, so let’s refresh the mood and get your music lessons done, ok?”

“Okie nanora! Takumi… Thank you, I feel, so relieved now nanora, is great having a familiar face on this place…” She admitted with a slight blush on the corner of her cheeks and a smile, her body slowly loosening as she speaks.

“Well, don’t jump on the gun so early, just because we know each other doesn’t mean that I’m going to let you do as you please,” The man chuckles once more, as he pats the seat of the bench and the girl sits back with a now smug smile, “For starters what brings you here? I thought you were doing fine taking piano lessons on your own?”

“Ah well nanora,” She stutters at first and forces a huge, fake smile, “There was this time I was in the studio talking with Matsuriri about how I wanted to take part in a piano tournament that is going to be held in a couple of weeks and nanora, and a staff member overhead us, and, it went from one thing to the other and now the agency wants to stream the tournament nanora…” She pauses with fixed lips and looks down, playing with the tips of her fingers she sighs, “Suddenly there’s a lot of pressure nanora, I was going to do it just for fun, but now they’re making a huge deal out of it nanora, then apparently they asked that cute white lady and she wrote me a recommendation letter so I could be accepted on this school.”

“Ah, so that’s how things went, I see; then the studio is paying for your lessons?” His question made the girl inflate into another angry pout.

“Is that the only thing that caught your attention nanora!?” She smacks his chest with the back of her fists, “Jeez, is money the only thing you can think now?! Ugly! Meanie! The other man acted the same way!” She protested and turned her back to him, crossing her arms, “Now that you know the studio is going to pay then you’re just going to do whatever you want, aren’t you nanora?”

 _“Ah, so that’s how things went,”_ He repeated internally this time, then gently caressed the top of her head, “I can’t deny hearing that made me feel excited, but that and this are different things, and I came here intending to help you, I promise.”

She looked at him from the corner of her eyes, still pouting, “Hmph!” Luna violently swung her head back to ignore him with a loud squirm, then sighed, and stretched her right arm, extending her pinky, “Promise me for real…”

Takumi muffled his giggle with tight lips and with a sincere smile he tied his pinky with hers, “Promise… we’ll work together so you can enjoy your piano tournament, now look over here, you can't be in that humor all day okay? I need to know what is that you need and what were you practicing,” The girl slowly comes back to him, and goes all stiff with a red face when he minutely examines her fingers and repeats the same with her left hand, interlacing fingers as he meditates, “You have small hands, that’s a bit of a problem when it comes to reaching the keys, how long you’ve been practicing again? Six, eight months? Your fingers are getting stretchy so that’s good, but they’re still small, you have kind of a disadvantage here…” He narrates her thoughtfully, pressing on her tips and stretching her fingers, the pink one is all nervous of his touch, muffling a screech, “Oops, easy there, sorry, I should have warned you, to resume your hands being small is a problem, so you’ll have to do a bit more of effort than what you were already doing, alright?” The man asks now with a smile.

“O-okay, can I… get my hand back…?” She requests as she tries to pull away with her wrist.

“Sure, there you go,” He giggles when releasing her, “Now, care to tell me what are you going to play in the tournament?”

After making sure the piano was properly clean of her mess, Takumi got up from the bench and let her sit properly. Luna brought a couple of music sheets from her purse and placed them over the rack, fixed her hair behind her shoulders with a shake of her head, and carefully reading the sheet, silently humming the first notes with her acute pitch, Takumi got to see how her fingers properly pressed over each key by pure instinct, making him smile. The girl started to play with a serious expression all the way, still stumbling in some notes, and having trouble speeding up when needed without getting her fingers tangled, she manages to finish the song. Taking a long and exhausted mouth of air, she sketched a big and proud smile, “How was it nanora?” She asked when swaying her head on purpose.

“For starters, I didn’t know there was a piano version of Shiny Smily Story, well, it shouldn’t surprise me, but it still does,” He begins to explain with arms crossed while approaching the girl, “Tell me again, how much time do we have until your tournament?”

The question made Luna stutter, doubting why he didn’t answer her and getting worried, bringing her phone and sweeping her finger over the calendar app, “Eh… In about two weeks nanora, but to be specific, it would be in… eleven days.”

“Only eleven you say…” Takumi frowns with a hand over his mouth, meditating the situation.

“Takumi…? Was I not good nanora?” She asks with worry growing on her tone and face.

“Luna, I guess it’s obvious but, even if is not needed to say I need to point it out,” He sighs and breaks on his posture, “I can definitely help you learn this song in eleven days, but is not going to be enough,” The pauses to look at her reaction, Luna immediately loosening her shoulders in disappointment, “And then there’s the fact you have shorthands, and your feet…”

“I know… I know nanora,” She mourns looking down at the piano pedals, separated from reach by a spacious amount of centimeters, “They don’t reach...” Luna’s smile disappears entirely, “C-can’t I use a keyboard at the tournament?”

“No, everyone will use the same piano,” Takumi answered fast, startling her with a now sad expression, “But wait; don’t let that get you down, ok?” He took a sudden step forward, “You said it yourself, you want to participate just because you want to have fun, don’t you? Then let’s practice and get the song done under that thought, forget about first place or about the tournament getting streamed, let’s have fun.”

“Yes… Yes, you’re right nanora!” She shouted at first with an angry face filled with decision, then get back to giggle and smile, “Thank you, Takumi, I’m glad you’re my teacher, ah,” A thought crossed her mind, then looked up at him, this time with an honest, huge smile, “Do you mind if I call you _‘Takuni’_ once again?”

With the past of the week, the man would quickly find on the things Luna was doing which had Izumi so stressed, it wasn’t about her learning speed or her skill, it was her personality.

“Takuni! Look, today I meet this cute cat nanora, look, look!” On the evening of Tuesday, the girl said randomly interrupting her rehearsal, bringing her phone, and shoving the screen on the man’s face.

_“Luna, please focus on the class.”_

“Takuni, did you bring anything sweet today nanora? My butler said I’ve been eating too many snacks, so today he didn’t give me any, can you believe him nanora?!” On the afternoon of Wednesday, after being unable to successfully complete one of the verses, the girl stood from the bench, and without waiting for a reply she shamelessly started to dig on the contents of Takumi’s bag with both hands.

_“Luna, I’ll buy you something later, so please come back and sit.”_

“Takuni, Takuni! This chord scale is too hard, can’t I try something easier? I just can’t make the turns at time nanora! I think it would be faster if you just change it! Hmph!” By Thursday, near the orange sunset, the girl was throwing on a tantrum, exhausted and fed up of repeating the same notes over and over and still stumbling when crossing hands, missing the timing.

_“Luna, the song can’t be changed, this is how it goes, you just need to keep trying.”_

“You’re big doofus! Giant jerk! You’re so meanie! I’m tired and I’m not learning anything! It’s your fault!” Then on Friday morning, she exploded like never before, her screams echoing on the walls of the room, as she furiously smacked Takumi over the chest with her small fists, the girl had only mastered a quarter of the song. Takumi didn’t reply, but slowly took on both of her wrists, and Luna only grew wilder, pulling away from his grasp as if her life depended on it, squirming and struggling exactly like a child with no inhibitions or self-awareness, “Let me go…! Can’t you hear me?! Dork! Twerp! Doofus! Dumbhead! I hate you! Let me go! LET ME GO!” Yet after only a couple of minutes her stamina reached her limit, as she noticed the tightness of the man’s hand never changed, completely mute, she started to get scared, “Taku… Takumi?” She asks between pants, he looks at her defiantly, she pulled away by reflex, with fear, “P-please… please don’t hit me nanora…”

“Why would I do something like that, you silly,” He replied faking composure, releasing her wrists and flicking her forehead, he took a couple of steps back taking deep breathes, trying to calm down, Takumi brought his phone and checked the screen, “Is a bit early… but, if you feel like that, what if we call it a day already? It’s Friday and you probably want to do something else right?” He turned back without waiting for a reply, held on the knob of the door, and sighed, “… Luna, you’re making this harder than to what it should, take this weekend to refresh your thoughts, and, if you still want to practice, then come back on Monday, but this is as far I’ll go, I’m sorry, I’m off for lunch ok?” He feigned a smile at the end and opened the door.

“Is not my fault you’re bad at teaching nanora…” She mumbles with a pout and crossed arms, when Takumi quickly turns to her when hearing those words she steps back, scared once again. She gulped down saliva and looked for bravery, silently walking towards him, until they were face to face, as much as she could with her height, “Today… I made lunch for the two of us nanora… If you leave, I, I won’t be able to finish on my own so, if, if you like nanora, then, together…” She spouts as firmly as possible, doing her best not to babble due to the nerves and the scary face of the man.

He stood silent for a brief amount of time, exhaled with exasperation, and closed the door, “Did you really? I bet it was your butler,” Takumi suggests when walking back inside the room with a sarcastic tone, sitting over a small table at the other extreme of the room, reluctantly.

“Urgh, see?! You’re a meanie!” Luna replies angered, hurrying to search on her purse for a couple of lunch boxes and a thermos, “My butler may teach me how to make recipes sometimes, but I know how to cook!” She insisted when dashing to the table, smashing the lunch boxes over it and lifting the lids with a fast movement of her right wrist, showcasing a full meal with rice, vegetables, takoyaki, and egg rolls, “I’m a woman nanora! Don’t underestimate me nanora!”

“Oh…” Takumi stared at the meal with hungry and impressed eyes, looking back at the girl with fixed lips, as she quickly understood his reaction and didn’t doubt to show her victorious smug smile when handing him the chopsticks, “This… looks and smells good, thank you,” He admitted with a soft tone, Luna giggled satisfied of his reaction and sat on the other side of the table with a single jump.

“I noticed that you don’t get a proper meal on the afternoons, so I thought you would like a little change nanora, you should be grateful, you’re being such a bad teacher, and still I’m here feeding you nanora, c’mon, thank me properly!” She claimed when fixing her fists on her hips, full of condescension, swinging her head proudly of her smear.

“I honestly find it funny how you keep saying I’m the only reason you can’t learn,” He replied with a calm yet uninterested tone, not wanting to follow her quips he manages to make Luna pout loudly again, but he’s decided to ignore her tantrums all together and just takes the lunch box with the right to stuff his mouth with rice, munch it down, and look at her again, “But I also won’t deny it has been a long time since I ate a homemade lunch, thank you, you’re good at cooking, Luna.”

“Uhm… I know… I-I guess that works for now,” She sighs with red cheeks while adjusting her chair. Looking at the thermos she stretched her hand and unscrews the lid-cup, pressing on the center of the tip and pouring hot tea on the plastic lid, taking a long sip and with a gross sigh of satisfaction, when glancing at the man, she refills the cup and gently pushes it to his side over the table, “Green tea,” She said forcing herself to be mad, but as Takumi took the cup and silently drank it, she noticed the side facing her had traces of her lipstick, and as her imagination flew over a romantic cliché, she stuttered with shaky hands, coughing, “Takumi, this… this is going bad… I always played that song on the keyboard nanora yet, I didn’t think it would take so much to do it perfectly, the tournament is in just a few days nanora, isn’t there something else I can do?”

“If you could complain less and practice more, we would be improving,” The man rudely admits, settled to no longer care about her pouty reactions, leaving the teacup on the table and picking a grain of rice from a corner of his cheek with his thumb and eat it, “The only thing it comes to my mind is to keep practicing… maybe we should practice on the weekend too.”

The suggestion makes Luna’s eyes sparkle and her mouth gasp, leaning on the table with excitement and her cheeks flustering adorably.

“Then…! Wanna come to my house?!”

“Oh my God…” He whispered by reflex and surprise, the morning of a cloudless yet cold Saturday, Takumi stood in front of a three-floor house almost three times the sizes of their neighbors. He shook his head and put his jaw back to place, pressing on the doorbell, _“Does a person this rich really need to be a streamer?”_ He quietly wonders as he waits for an answer on the intercom from the brick and steel fence, _“Or maybe is exactly because of that, and she does it even though she doesn’t need it?”_ The man scanned the exterior one more time, marveled at the intricate and expensive details on the windows and door, _“Now that I think about it, Pekora is supposed to be a princess too, I should ask her someday,”_ His thoughts were interrupted when a click and an electrical buzz came from the intercom, he took a step close of the mike ready to answer whoever picked the bell, but the only thing he heard was strange and seemingly acute breathing for one long minute, then the end of the communication from the other side. Opening the doors of the house, Takumi shrieks with horror as Luna’s cow butler comes out and calmly walks to the fence, opening with a small control similar to a car’s lock keys, as he pushes the now unlocked fence to step inside a pebble stone road, his hands tremble when looking at the cartoonish and miniature figure, “Hello…? I’m Hirose Takumi, Luna’s piano professor, I came today to continue with her particular classes,” He explains thoroughly, the small cow just raises his paw again and Takumi jumps startled, the butler was just pressing on the control again to close the fence, then with a gesture of his free paw, the cow guided Takumi inside the boisterous house.

“Welcome to my castle nanora, my humble peasant!” The girl welcomed him when diving from the first floor on the ground floor, using the stairs' handler as a slide, wearing colorful, puffy cotton pajamas, slippers, and her crown. Gracefully landing on the tip of her toes and making an Olympic gymnastic pose, she takes his wrist and pulls him towards the stairs, “C’mon, c’mon, let’s get to it, butler, don’t interrupt us while I’m studying ok?” She twists her neck at the last second, commanding the cow before climbing up when dragging the man along with her.

“Oh my God…” He repeats when entering the room of the girl, a gamma of all possible pink colors distributed along with her belongings, from the bookshelves to the fuzzy carpet, from the bedsheets to the fluorescent plastic star figures glued to the ceiling, it was a world of pink.

“Then, what should we play first? I was killing time with Mario Kart waiting for you to appear nanora, want to try and race me?” She suggests when sitting in from of her TV station, crossing her legs and flip the volume on with a control, switch it with the game controller and start checking the settings of the game.

Takumi immediately walked behind the girl and held tightly on her scalp with the tips of his fingers, “Let’s get to practice already!” He screamed in annoyance.

After dealing with another of her tantrums, the girl reluctantly walked towards her closet and brought along a heavy electric MIDI keyboard. Takumi helped her to make space on her study desk to place it over, and as he sat on the edge of her bed she sat on the chair of the desk, both holding music sheets copies of the song, Luna connected the keyboard and configured it to the most natural tune she could find, then started practicing. But once again it was taking them nowhere, Luna repeatedly stopped between the middle of the song, either distracted or frustrated, trying to bring out a random theme of conversation to make Takumi forget about the class, or throwing a fist into the air, jumping out of the chair and walking circles around the room, yelling things to Takumi with pouty cheeks, until she managed to calm down and come back to the keyboard. But the routine didn’t have an end, and finally, the man snapped, groaning loudly, tossing the sheets over the floor, it was eleven of the morning, they had spent four hours fruitlessly trying to finish the first half of the song.

“Luna, I just don’t get it, what’s wrong with you? I’m trying to make this as easy as possible but you yourself are refusing to make any progress!”

“Is not my fault nanora, it’s yours! You’re the one who doesn’t know how to teach me! You’re boring and rude nanora! Just like the other teacher!”

“Izumi had a lot of reasons to quit teaching you, and he was quite predisposed to! I thought I was helping you by replacing him, yet you don’t want to do your part! Guess I was wrong!”

“So you thought you were making me a favor nanora?! Don’t make me laugh! I don’t need your help!”

“Then why did you thank me for that time? Ah?!”

This time the girl wasn’t backing off, regardless of his tone raising in fury, she was a step closer to him on each comeback, shouting just as loud.

“I was just trying to get your nice side nanora! But turns out there aren’t any! You’re a bad teacher nanora! A sucker, sucky, doofus, smelly teacher!”

“When are you going to admit you’re the one at fault!? I’m tired of keeping silent and pretending you’re right!”

“Because I’m right nanora! You’re such a bad teacher, you… you should’ve just stayed as…”

“Come again? Go ahead, say it! You want to insult me but you don’t have the guts?! You wanted to say I should’ve stayed as a prostitute don’t you? That’s rich! Then maybe I should do so and offer you my services? Or do you think I haven’t noticed the way you look at me!”

“And what about you nanora?!”

She reached the edge of the bed where he was sitting, leaning on his knees with both hands to continue with her hostile approach.

“You keep treating me like a little child but I can see the way you stare at my chest! What about it nanora! Can’t deny it?! Then maybe I should pay you for an hour or two if you’re that interested!”

“Hah, sorry Luna, but I have no interest in a selfish virgin like you!”

“Hah?!”

The girl climbed on the bed by using her left knee on the middle of his legs, centimeters close to his face, Luna was bright red, fueled by wrath and loud, acute screams.

“You’re so rude and so full of bad words! So full of yourself! Did you think I was a virgin?! Why don’t you check it yourself?! Nowadays girls don’t wait for marriage!”

Takumi stopped in dry to her last shout, looking with detail at how Luna’s face was at the verge of tears; he chuckled and averted his eyes off her with sarcasm.

_“Finally… something I won’t have to teach you.”_

A loud, powerful, and single slap of Luna’s arm, from right to left extending her limb as far as her body could to make it as hurtful as possible for him, echoing on the room like a broomstick being split into half.

Takumi remained frozen from the shock, his cheek suddenly being invaded by a wide burning sensation spreading on his face, joined by a slight stunning ring on his ear. Luna looked at the hand she used to hit him, trembling and hurt, the pain on her palm woke her up from her ireful stroke, and pulling away kneeling on the floor, the pink one broke in an even louder cry, tearing up with a worryingly fast speed, “I’m…! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“I was the one who got slapped… so why are you apologizing, dumbhead,” He mumbles carefully caressing his cheek, prostrating over the same place where he was sitting, taking loud intervals of breathing to calm down as he massages his head.

“B-Because! I… I didn’t really want to slap you! I just! I thought of just scare you b-by pretending so and… my, my hand moved by itself! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” She bawled like a water fountain, no matter how much she wiped her eyes a new river of tears broke from the corners and fell from her cheeks.

The door of the room was knocked, and before any of them could regain composure, or even start to pretend it, the cow butler walked inside the room. Bringing a long silver tray on its paws, filled with a ceramic teapot and cups and a plate with macaroons decorated like a pyramid and leaving it all over a little round table, with its big black eyes the creature observed the two without making a single noise, and just as it appeared, it left. Awkwardness flooded the room as they looked at the other unable to voice their thoughts, one looking to stop their shakes and whimpers, the other trying to decrease the rush of blood on his veins. “Let’s take a break…” Takumi suggests with a little grit of his teeth, smacking his legs and standing up, walking to the table and sitting in one of her thin chairs which makes a concerning cracking sound as the man gets over it.

Luna follows next, rubbing her left arm and looking down on the floor like a scolded child. She sat on the other side and dragged her chair by pulling the frame of the seat from below, took a macaroon, and shoved it all inside her mouth. Sighing in relief as the sugar melting on her mouth calms her down, she munches slowly until gulping it down, when she extends her right hand to take the teapot, Takumi takes it for her, and gently pours tea over the two cups, “I… I’m sorry nanora…” The pink one whispers with a crackly tone, “I didn’t mean to say all those awful things… is just… it felt as if something took over me nanora… forgive me.”

“I can’t… that actually hurt me,” He confesses with a straight face, but when Luna hears him and once again begins to tear up, he huffs and continues, “But, is not the end of the world, and if you want to make up for it, then do it focusing on your piano lessons, let’s get that song done.”

“That’s… the only thing you need?” Luna asks with a bit of surprise at his request, Takumi nods and lifts his cup on the air near her face, the girl shyly lifting hers to clank their cups and take a sip of the hot beverage, “You’re weird nanora… In a good way.”

Finishing on their drinks, the girl filled her arms with the macaroons and stuffed her mouth with two, then signaled Takumi to follow her back to the bed. One beside the other, Luna fed him with the sweet treat as she hoarded them all over her tummy, trying to calm down and ease their feelings.

“I don’t think any of the things I said nanora, I promise.”

“I also don’t think you’re a bad student, and I also think I may have the fault for all this.”

“That’s… not true nanora, you know it and I know it… it is me nanora…”

“Well, that means a lot coming from you, want to get back to practice once we are done eating this?”

“Sure nanora! Here, say _ahhh_.”

“… _ahhh._ ”

“Hehehe, is like I’m spoiling you Takuni.”

“… _A girl with big eyes and a round face, but who looks as if she were in her twenties_.”

“Uhm? What does that mean?”

“Oh is just, how one of the professors of the school described you, he wasn’t so off the mark… You are quite beautiful when I pay you attention.”

“There you go again being rude nanora… do you think I’m beautiful?”

The girl slightly turned her body to look at him with a little smile and a pinch of red on her cheeks, carefully balancing the few macaroons left on her tummy.

“I do… your eyes are not only big but breathtaking, is having all your hair pink not enough? You also have to have heterochromia, which is crazy.”

“Hehehe…”

“And this big, round face, you have a porcelain skin, like a baby.”

“Mmmffff, T-Takuni, let myf cheefs go!”

“And, well, your figure… is definitely the one of an adult.”

“Ah, just now you were watching my chest again nanora! Per-vert! Hehehe!”

“Well…”

“Eh… eh?! You aren’t going to deny it?!”

“I’m not.”

“O-oh… That’s… That’s not something a teacher should say to a student nanora.”

The conversation fell short from that moment onwards, as both were vivid red. Staring at each other faces, they finished on the dessert, and shyly their hands began to caress each other face, Takumi playing with her hair and the silhouette of her cheeks, Luna messing around with his lips, twisting them and forcing him to make duck faces. But the girl stopped playing with him once he too started to caress her lips, sharing looks of doubt and indecision, their bodies pulled closer to the other, shyly and slowly _– Ouch! –_ They laughed and screamed when their foreheads smashed, the uncomfortable mood had no end, as their eyes fixed on the other in silence one more time, Takumi closed the final gap, holding her left wrist and leaning to her side, giving her a soft kiss over the lips. Luna muffled a scream of surprise at first when their lips reunited, looking nervously at his face and back to his lips, not knowing what to do, she pushed her face against him and added pressure to the kiss, their teeth clank on the thrust, they laughed again. Giggling on their misbehavior, they attempted once again, a beak kiss, short and simple, there were no giggles this time, but smiles, they kissed for the third time and Takumi pulled her close from the hips with one hand, Luna gasped with excitement, and they began to make out. Interlacing fingers, gently, slowly, their breaths mixing as they pant, their stares growing in silent lust, then Luna interrupted the session of kisses, hiding her face on his chest.

“I… I lied nanora…” She whispers with the tiniest tone of voice she could find, “I’m… I actually am… I’ve never… had…” 

“I thought that so far, no need to be ashamed of it, and I won’t make fun of you either,” He smiled to her, “Your kisses feel so much better than your slaps.”

“Hehehe, I said I was sorry!” She wrapped his neck and kissed him, “B-but… Takum… Takuni, I was wondering nanora, if, if you don’t mind… would you, teach me?”

The question sparked interest and perversion in the man, as he tickled her all over her face and neck by kissing her as a reply. The pressure of his lips increased and his speed decreased, caressing her hips as his mouth traveled all the way down her neck to the middle of her chest, his left hand digging on the inside of her pajama shorts, the moment Luna feels the tips of his fingers touch her pelvis she panics and holds his arm, “Please be gentle…” She begged to him.

“How much gentle?” Takumi asks with a playful tone, making her gasp by whispering the question in her ear.

“L-like… super gentle… p-please don’t hurt me nanora…” She pants and tightens the wrap on his neck.

“Roger that,” He giggled maliciously, with his right going inside her shirt and massaging her back with his fingertips, his left pulling down the fabric of her shorts, followed by her panties. Unable to look down due to the lock on his neck, he blindly plays with the pubes of her crotch, slowly approaching her erected clit, Luna shakes in surprise and stutters. He proceeds as she requested, slow and tender, massaging her clit in circles, sometimes touring the borders of her lower lips, all the way down to make her entire body twitch startled when meeting with the entrance of her rump. “Easy now, I’m just going to add a little of pressure… fuck haha, just what is this? There’s something in me who wants to mess with you… but you’re just so cute,” He kisses her forehead and his fingers change of rhythm, Luna’s legs twitching in reflex, floundering over the sheets with her thighs gradually getting drenched on the girl’s juices.

“T-Takuni! Ah! It feels, weird! My head feels funny nanora, ah! Ah! My legs, I can’t control my legs!” She sings acute cries of pleasure on his ear, with narrowed eyes she noticed of the red shape of her hand on the cheek of the man, and when he looked at her, her whimpers disappeared; she kissed the tip of his nose and smiled, “Hah… I’m starting to like this feeling nanora… ah… Takuni… pickle me more…” To the melody of her words he switched his movement once again, quickly massaging her clit and tapping it, making squelching sounds as his fingers get wetter on her essence, Luna’s arousal taking form, snuggling him hard, with a sweating face, kissing his cheek as if she were on trance, “Pickle me… ah… pickle me, pickle me like that… ah… ah… Takuni… it feels so good… HAUGH!” She shouts at the end feeling an electric shock invade her head, arching her back and clutching her legs all stiff like a straight pole, as the spams of her climax control her reasoning, “… How… How did this happen nanora?” Luna questions in frustration and satisfaction, “I gave you… a slap… and you give me… how? You’re such… a weird teacher nanora…”

At the end of an awkward and long day, Takumi goes back to her house on Sunday morning, and for that entire day, Luna behaves properly and did as told, finally progressing on the song. A new week of work started, and the pink one changed on her usual attitude, taking her classes with more seriousness, fighting against her own desire to deride from the practice and do something different – _Give me a kiss_ – Was the only thing she could bargain from time to time with the man, as he pleased the spoiled girl without thinking much, bending to reach her on the bench and give her a short beak kiss, and laugh at the way she grins on happiness and goes back to play. “Are you comfortable?” He asks with an ink of sarcasm, it was the late-night of a Saturday in his apartment, and after a long day of rehearsal with Luna in his living room, the girl seized his bathroom and bedroom, changing to her pajamas after a long warm bath which left the tub messy with a strange brilliant frost in the water. Luna nods to him happily, as she stuffs her arms with both his pillows and the pillows she brought, rolling on his bed and smelling on his sheets, “You’re so cute, I’m going to sleep on the sofa, ok? Good night Luna.”

“Wait, what?!” She ran at the speed of thunder, dropping all pillows and clinging on him, with nervous lips she attempted to ask him, but as much as she tried to voice her thoughts, no sound came out; she had to look down on the floor to be able to speak, “Why nanora…? Aren’t we sleeping together?”

“Uh? It's just that I thought you wanted your own space tonight?” He says confused about the way she uses her own body as an anchor to keep him at bay.

“Are you… going to make me say it nanora?! I-I swear… S-sometimes I can’t tell if you’re really good at these things or just a lucky idiot nanora…” She swings her feet dressed with long purple stockings up to her knees, mourning on the difficultness that is taking her to speak, still facing the floor of concrete, “I just… thought, since is night nanora… I thought we were going to… fool around a little…”

“Ah, I was thinking you wouldn’t want to do it this weekend, since the tournament is tomorrow and all,” Takumi tries to explain while looking at the other side in embarrassment.

“Jeez, of course, I want to nanora!” She shouts when tightly pulling on his shirt, “Happy now?! You made me say it!” Luna shouts again, with hasty respiration, then shyly puts her head on his abdomen and rubs her forehead against, “Is just… it feels as if is the right thing to do tonight…”

They switched off the lights, and guided by the faint gleam of a tiny plug-lamp which the girl brought to his place, walked together on the bed. The cotton of her pajamas quickly suffocated her, as they kissed and fondled each other bodies, the girl climbed up to his abdomen to be on top, and with his help, she took off the fluffy shirt. He blindly fixed her hair to a side when kissing her, starting to share their tongues for the very first time, brief flashes of their silhouettes on the small rays of yellow from the lamp, showing the pink-haired girl smooth curves and white skin, merge with the rough shapes of the man’s body whenever their lips reunited. “Hiii?!” She shrieks in surprise when feeling the pulsating piece of meat unwrap from his underwear and instantly being sandwiched by her thighs, Luna narrowed her eyes as much as she could, getting up over his pelvis and doing her best to distinguish the shape of the man’s trunk warming up her crotch. “W-what now? It feels kind of gross and funny nanora…” She says while rubbing the tip of her finger all over his length, exploring the shape of his shaft and his tip submerged in curiosity.

“For starters, stop that, it feels weird,” Takumi tells her pretending seriousness and taking her from the hips with both hands, “Let’s start by moving a little? Come on I’ll show you, this way…” He instructs her waist to start on an in-and-out movement, slowly scrubbing her crotch against his member, “Hah… That’s… God, you’re so wet… how does it feel for you?” He pants in pleasure, feeling the essence of the girl gradually pouring from her labia and drip over him.

“M-my head is feeling funny nanora… just like the other day,” She giggled reminiscing of that day, between her pants of perversion Luna started to obey the rhythm in which his hands tried to guide her. For a couple of minutes as the heat on the room keep growing, their bodies sweated on the friction of their genitals scrubbing the other, Luna leaned back and held on his knees with both hands, getting on the mood of the situation Takumi no longer needed to help her, she was moving on her own desire, panting out loud, pressing on him, finding surprise on her own body, as Luna discovered a new way to move her upper and lower half into a splendid show of eroticism. The man took this chance to explore her body with his fingertips, caressing her stomach and up her ribs, careful to don’t break the mood by making her tickle, careful to don’t speak his indecent thoughts to don’t shame her desire to take the lead. He finally fondled her breasts, moderately big and soft, the man rubbed her with pleasure and Luna smiled with delight at the way he was messing with her nipples, each time moving faster on the way her lower half danced on his meat. “Takuni… this… if I do this… would you like it?” She asks with her usual stutter upgraded to a lewd level, firmly rubbing against him, moving slightly up; trapping his frenulum on the perverted swaying, with a pressure which made the man release her breasts and hold tightly on the sheets of the bed, “Heh… hehehe… you like it!”

“Luna, that’s…! Urgh!” He grunts and grits his teeth, breathing deeply as the girl stopped laughing and showed a new erotic and serious face, “It feels good, i-it feels good but please Luna, slow it down!”

“N-no! I… I like the face you’re making nanora, so no!” She began to frown and pant exhausted, the swaying leveled upon her speed and it started to make nasty sounds, leaning on him to caress his face and kiss him with a giggle, then go back to use his knees as handlers and scrub him, “S-suddenly my… my… is itching… is itching so much and… and!” Her tongue started to come out as she spoke, her pants growing lewder, smacks sounds on the violence of her hips, “Is itching so badly! B-but when I scrub it like this… is, is like is scratching the itch away! Ah! Augh! Ah! Takuni! I can’t stop!” Just like that time of their last fight, it was as if the girl’s personality was taking over.

“Ugh, Luna, I’ll cum!” The man protested missing smarter words to say, fruitlessly holding against the grinding of the girl, the combination of her pressure and her acute girly moans were pushing his sanity away.

“Haugh! Ah! Ah! Takuni! Takuni! Something’s coming! Ah! Ay! Ay! Ayyyyy!” She gritted her teeth in a blatant display of nastiness, pushing her crotch all the way up to the tip of Takumi’s meat, Luna’s body stiffs when reaching a wild orgasm, one which manages to make her squirt a tiny spray of juices, and as Takumi observed and felt her, her loud screams managed to make him orgasm seconds after, his abdomen painted with the secretions of the two, “W-what… what’s this…? It feels… it feels as if… if I do it again I’ll…!” Her body moved faster than her thoughts, making a single and rough sway of her hips, the girl’s body stiffens one more time for the surprise of both, and Takumi hurries to hold her by the arms as she goes through a second climax right after, “Ugh… nnnnnngh!” Luna grits her teeth and squirms, another squirt spraying the man, her eyes slightly rolling back and her consciousness fading away, Takumi has to quickly move his hands up to her shoulders and place her to his left, so she doesn’t land over his messy chest, Luna fell asleep right away.

At last, in the morning of a Sunday in Minato, Tokyo, the preparations for a piano tournament had at least a hundred men and women running around to set everything ready inside of the _Akasaka Blitz_. From young teens to full-fledged adults, there were at least twenty participants with a wide range of ages and experience including Luna, they were being called by number, and the pink girl was in between the two halves of the competitors. Takumi stood nervous in the corner of the entrance to the seats, the place quickly got flooded not only by the common folk waiting to hear the participants’ display, but there was also a round group of Luna fan stands on the other extreme, getting scolded by the concert security staff as they confiscated their obscenely giant cheering flags and their light sticks, begging them to keep quiet, just to briefly after observing how the staff from a certain agency was being scolded next, the young woman of short blue hair getting the blame of the audience misbehavior.

One by one they started to appear on the scaffold when being called by the group of four judges, making a slight reverence to the audience to later sit on the bench of the grand piano, everyone turning mute before the pulse of the keys. Takumi sighs and gets a hold of his knee, as he notices his impatience is sparking a nervous tic and making him kick the floor, concerned the sound may bother the musician of turn.

“Did Luna come out already?” A feminine voice asked behind his back.

“Not yet, just one more person after this, and then it’ll be her turn,” He replied absentmindedly.

“Really? Good, I’m glad to have come at the right timing,” The voice sighed in relief.

“Wait…” Takumi suddenly realized, carefully turning on his back, as a girl wearing a fashionable but discreet dress with twintails smiled at him, “Ah…”

“What do you mean with _‘ah’_? That hurts,” Matsuri said playfully, walking to the entrance and standing beside him, looking at the random young man play the piano, “Did you think I wouldn’t come to see my best friend piano’s debut?”

“The thought didn’t cross my mind, to begin with, to be honest,” He replied with awkwardness crossing his arms.

“Don’t be like that, fool,” She smirks with tenderness, smacking softly his left shoulder with her fist, “Yo, Takumi, it has been long… or maybe not.”

“It has been long, you’re gleaming today,” He tells her with an honest feeling, the girl managed to pull a smile on his face as he rubbed his barely scratched arm.

“Those cheap compliments will get you nowhere,” She sings in reply, stretching her arms with an acute squirm which makes the people on the last seats turn on their backs and shush her, “Sorry!” Matsuri loudly whispers, holding her desire to laugh then looking up to Takumi, “Has Luna’s piano professor had much of a trouble?” Her question is phrased with condescension and curiosity.

“At first… it was hellish,” He admits with a nod, “But we managed in the last days, we’ll see the results today.”

“Well, every girl would learn to play the piano better… if their teacher were also their couple,” The man looks back at her quickly at the end of her words, leaving him speechless for a second, Matsuri smirks again, “What, did you think she would never tell me?”

“… I just hoped that she didn’t,” He sighed disappointedly. 

“So, did you boost her ego last night before the big day?” She implies with hissing laughter and a naughty face.

“That isn’t something I’ll tell, much less to you.”

When a high school girl was applauded by the audience at the end of her song, the judges called on Luna, and the lights were turned off. Matsuri juggling an uncontrollable desire to explode in laughter as the woman of short blue hair appears once again, with a video rolling on her back promoting the Hololive agency, she made the momentum for an eruption of euphoria to be released when the pink girl dashed to the scene in her signature dress. Luna quickly scanned the seats with her eyes and spotted the man and her friend in a matter of seconds, making her grin like a child. The video reached the end and the blue-haired woman disappeared behind the curtains, the judges took control of the scenario once again and pacified the audience back into place. For four minutes everyone listened to the girl’s play, in silence, as she happily displayed all her skills learned in the last two weeks, but at the end of the melody, silence remained, not a clap was heard.

The evening of that same Sunday, when Matsuri managed to smuggle Takumi backstage to search for the pink one, Luna welcomed the girl with a disastrous face, full of tears and snot she ran to hug her friend, but the little one didn’t have any energy left inside her body. As the girl slowly slid down Matsuri’s cloth and kneeled on the floor, crying her pain away, holding a small ribbon on her left hand with _“4th Place”_ written in a logo, her friend silently caressed her hair, whispering that everything would be okay.

“As expected, even in discouraging days like this, nothing beats a good cone of ice cream, right?” Matsuri sang with a swing of her spoon, the three stopped at an ice cream store and sat on the footstools in front of the window. She and Takumi side to side of the girl, trying to cheer her up, taking turns to share their ice cream with her, who was silent with a cranky mood written all over her face, red eyes from crying so much, “Remember, you did this because you wanted to try and have fun right? Didn’t you have fun?”

“I thought I was having fun nanora…” Luna whispers while playing with the vanilla ice cream cone with a finger, “…But after I finished playing, only you two applauded… no one else… every time I remember that, my heart…!” She squirms at the end holding on to her chest, both Matsuri and the man hurrying to calm her down and rub her back slowly, “How am I suppose to say I had fun while everyone acted so rude nanora? I… I’m a failure at this nanora… I quit.”

“Luna…” Matsuri looked at her bittersweet, handing her cone to Takumi so she could embrace the girl with both arms, stroking her shoulders, “I may not be an expert when it comes to how to deal after you fail at something…” She pauses for a moment to look up to the man with melancholy, her tone changing to a motherly and soft one, “But the best thing you can do in these cases is not quitting. You see Luna, you can fail today, you can fail tomorrow and the day after that, you can fail a hundred times, but that’ll never make you a failure, trying until succeeding at something is a part of life, and quitting before you can give your fullest is what will truly make you a failure.”

“Matsuriri…” Luna whimpers holding on tears, tossing her ice cream and letting Takumi blindly catch it, to freely snuggle her friend, “Thank you Matsuriri, I love you nanora.”

“And I love you too my cute Luna,” Matsuri giggled innocently, brushing the girl’s pink hair with her fingers, kissing her forehead, and turning once again to Takumi, “Is Mr. Boyfriend not going to say anything yet? Or are you going to let me do all the hard work?”

“Takuni…” Luna slightly turned her head to look back at him, “I’m so sorry nanora… you were right, two weeks weren’t enough, I made a mess in the scenario…”

“If you could, hold on these cones for a second…” Takumi suggests with awkwardness waving the ice cream around, the girls nod and break on the hug, taking the cones from him to pull a long yellow envelope from pocket pants, “Here, I made this for you.”

“Uhm, what is this?” Luna wonders taking the envelope, Matsuri taking her cone on reflex.

“Oi, these things are melting!” She panics forced to take licks of chocolate and vanilla, dirtying her face.

“This is… a letter of recommendation?” The pink girl asks baffled when pulling the white paper.

“The school director was at the concert you know? And he wasn’t very happy with me after listening to your song, not to say your agency now says they won’t pay me a penny, they believe I didn’t instruct you properly…” He narrates faking a smile and waving his hands, trying to diminish the disaster of the events happened, “And, since the last recommendation letter was made by your agency and Siro to get you, particular classes, the least I could do, after managing to calm down the director, was to get you this, if you want, you can go back to our school and keep learning and practicing,” He stops to pet her head with a smile, “Of course, this time the money will come from your pockets, and you’ll have to study with the rest of the people in the common classes, but I thought what you needed the most right now… Was to feel supported and… that you could have one more chance.”

“I swear, sometimes I can’t tell if you’re good at these things or just a lucky idiot,” Matsuri chuckles while shaking her head with sarcasm.

“That’s what I told him the other day nanora!” Luna giggled to the girl and jumped on Takumi, “Thank you nanora, I will take this letter and go back to study; I promise you I’ll get better at this!”

The two weeks became two months, and the two months doubled up to four, before anyone could notice, Luna had been diligently going to the music school from winter to spring. Even Izumi was perplexed by the new attitude and endeavor of the girl, who at first went white as a ghost when he got to know the girl got transferred to the regular classes and the director didn’t let him change again with Takumi. But from time to time, Luna sneaked on the break hours behind everyone’s field of sight, despite her striking hair color, with her size it wasn’t hard, she used every time she could to share her homemade lunches with Takumi, both of them secretly eating on the roof of the building now that snow had melted by the sun of April. And at least once or twice a month, the man would bounce with Matsuri when hanging with the pink girl, sooner than later the conversation he tried to avoid sank in one of the many unexpected dates of the three.

_“Would you stop getting so awkward and stiff when you’re with me? Do you think I cry about you when I go home or something like that? Hehehe, my mind is at peace, thanks for asking, you should’ve asked me, you know? You’re gentle with Luna, and she’s happy that you’re with her, that is enough for me, I’m not jealous or anything… So next time we hang together, remember that you’re my friend, ok?”_

The cravings and whims of the girl also changed with time. Lunching together were moments for the girl to ask to be spoiled by him, with school and work, she wasn’t getting enough time to be with him, being kissed and pampered, sometimes crossing the line letting him fondle her body, to dig his hands inside her clothes. _“Takumi, are you still here? We are all going out to eat this afternoon, want to join us?”_ The muffled voice of a woman asked him from the other side of the piano room, interrupting another of the secret make-out sessions of the couple which had gone too far. Takumi was naked from the upper side, cornering the pink girl against the wall near the door, they separated from their kiss with a string of saliva stretching from their mouths, Luna was naked from below, her skirt and underwear were hanging over her left ankle, they were masturbating the other, Takumi’s right hand drenched on the juice of the girl, Luna’s hands holding tight on the man’s member as she pulled it out from the zipper of his pants.

“N-no... Not today!” He hurried to reply cleaning the saliva off his mouth, “I brought my own lunch again, don’t worry!” Takumi silently whispers to the girl to stop, but Luna’s switch was flipped, and she didn’t stop stroking his member regardless of the situation.

 _“Is that so…? I should thank the new girlfriend you got for feeding you so well haha, just don’t let her get you fat!”_ The woman claims with sarcasm.

 _“I would love to see how you look with a puffy tummy nanora,”_ The girl giggles poking the stomach of the man with the edge of her nails.

“Quit it… hah… I am actually gaining weight with your meals, I need to go back to the gym before summer,” The man hisses with annoyance, at the sound of the woman from the other side stepping away through the hall, he kissed her deeply, and Luna twisted her tongue with him, drooling on each other mouths, “I told you to stop and you didn’t… what if she had found us?”

“That’s the point nanora, jeez, you’re so boring,” She laughed this time, making him grunt, Takumi replied by slightly crook and suck on her breasts while Luna refused to release his meat, “Ah! W-wait, not so sudden nanora… Uhm! When you nibble them! I like it when you nibble them like that!” Her head tilts and her legs tremble to enjoy the pressure of his lips, the girl pants, sticking out her tongue, then a thought crosses her mind and she taps the head of Takumi, calling for his attention, “Takuni… put it inside…”

“Wha…” He stutters with surprise, stopping from sucking her breasts and fingering her altogether, “L-Luna… not now, not here…”

“Please nanora, put it in… at least a little, Takuni,” She begged him with lustful eyes, stroking him faster attempting to convince him.

“Luna stop that… nngh,” He suffocates a grunt by the way she massages the weak points on his tip with a devilish smile, she pulled his member to the height of her crotch, pressing his tip against her clit, “My God… Luna…”

“Takuni… the itching feels, awful lately nanora…” She pants while increasing the speed in which she strokes him, “It, it makes me feel… that I’ll go crazy if you don’t do it… Takuni… please…”

He looked at her in silence for a moment, she wasn’t teasing him on purpose, she was being honest with him, “I’m sorry, for now, you’ll have to endure it with this…” Takumi shoves the hand he was using to finger her inside his mouth, slobbering his index and middle finger, then holding her in place by pressing on her shoulder with his free hand, Takumi introduced both fingers inside her crotch, aggressively starting on a fast thrust, kissing her neck, “You’re so hot inside, my fingers went it so easily…”

“Ah?! Ah… Ah! Ay! Ay! Ay!” Luna’s eyes opened wide and a perverted smile appeared on her face, she replied stroking him fast and violent, they reached climax at the same time, “What the?! Is hot! Is so hot! Ngh?!” Her body twitching at the boiling sensation of the white semen mixing with her squirt, her thighs quickly becoming a mess of liquids, they kissed one more time.

“For Luna, for doing her best these past six months, congratulations on your graduation from the intermediate course, cheers!” On the early evening in a family restaurant, Matsuri proudly narrated into the air; together with Takumi, they celebrated the promotion of the girl, who held her certificate with a smile from ear to ear, with Takumi taking a photo of her as Matsuri stole a kiss from her cheek. The trio reunited to celebrate her progress and stuff their stomach with meat, getting at day with each other lives, making full use of the short time they had, “Ah, look at the hour, the night is about to set, better stop stealing precious minutes away from you, right?” Matsuri suggests with her usual perverted tone to the pink girl, bringing her purse and counting her part of the bill before handing it to the man, she stood gracefully and fixed the hair behind her head and the strap of the purse on her shoulder, “See you in Monday in the studio, all right?” She pets Luna’s head, smiles at Takumi, and leaves.

“Ah, she never changes does she? Don’t feel pressured just for what she said ok?” He said shaking his head in disappointment, but the pink one replied by shyly snuggling his right arm, “… Seriously?” The man asks in surprise, Luna made a single nod.

“I… I told her nanora… that today I… wanted… with you…” 

He drew back for a moment, but his reaction just ashamed the girl, and noticing this, he pricked his left cheek, then with adamant and in the open of the public tables he embraced her by the hips and kissed her tenderly. There was only one thought on their minds, with darkness covering the sky and the street lamps illuminating their way; their hand-holding was sweating with anticipation, their breathing loud and bashful like animals on heat. They reached Takumi’s apartment and as soon as he closed the door Luna jumped over him, showing her animal instincts and releasing all her constraints, “Dammit you…!” Takumi cursed out of lust, he didn’t even get to take off his shoes when Luna pulled his pants down and started to suck on his cock, her lust had taken over, pulling it out her mouth with a loud suckling sound, licking down on his trunk to suck on his balls.

“But you promised nanora… you promised we’ll do it lots!” She cries with her mouth stuffed, throwing a perverted tantrum, forcing him to the edge without a second thought, her left hand stroking him with a skillful movement of her wrist, she knew him properly, she knew what she was provoking, so she didn’t get scared when the man took her from the armpits and lifted her on the air with a red face from the rush of blood.

“Dammit, all…” He cursed one more time, desperately taking off his pants with his legs, still wearing his shoes, he walked inside the living room and violently tossed her against the sofa, he took off his shirt and removed his shoes by pressing on the talons against the other, “Today of all days…” Takumi’s voice was merged with fury, fast steps to the sofa to pull the girl by the legs, “Why are you wearing pants today of all days?!” He grunts unable to think straight, having trouble unbuttoning her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Luna cried with a lamenting tone, sweat running through her face, between whimpers her despair was showing just like him, taking off her blouse as if the fabric was burning her skin, her body being pulled on the cushions of the sofa by the man, her long pink hair scattering on the furniture and floor, Takumi finally managed to remove her jeans and panties, then separated her thighs with one movement of his hands, sucking on her crotch, introducing his tongue, “Takuni?! Oh my God… Oh my God!”

“You’re a soup down here,” Takumi mourns with a drowsy voice, sucking on her juices, yet she was more than ready, he quits it as soon as he starts and tosses her back on the cushion. Looking at how he pulled down his boxers, Luna held on her kneepits, not caring about anything anymore, presenting her crotch and ass to him, with an expression oversaturated of desire.

“Takuni… Takuni! Takuni!” She could only voice her name, but the man knew what she was asking for, he put a leg over a cushion of the sofa, and placed his tip on position, Luna immediately closed her eyes with anticipation, feeling the sensation of the meaty member being introduced on her, “We are… going to connect! Takuni!”

They shared a deep kiss, Luna holding his neck while he slowly penetrated her, further sinking his member, “You’re so damn tight… is amazing Luna,” He whispers before giving her another kiss, it was taking him a lot to shove it all the way.

“Idiot…! Stupid Takuni!” She cursed on her own way, panting and struggling against the electric shocks invading her body, with her eyes she begged for him to keep kissing her, he gladly replied to her, sharing their tongues, “Ay… Nnngh! Nnnnggggh! T-Takuni!” He finally had put it entirely inside.

 _“This is great,_ ” It was something they both said. After regaining a bit of composure, Takumi repeatedly pulled it out and slowly introduced it back inside her, down to the base, so she could get used to the feeling, easing the pain by kissing her and playing with her nipples.

They changed positions, with the man lying on the couch, Luna felt in the bravery to take the top, willingly jumping on his lap with an endearing smile, enjoying with delight the facial expression of the man. “T-this spot feels good,” She said while caressing his abdomen, leaning slightly to the left while pounding him, fixing her hair with grace, rowdy and sticky, “Do you like it Takuni…? Ahhh… Uhm, do you like it when I move like this nanora? If you don’t tell me I will pull it out, hehe,” She was full of herself, proud of the way she managed to make him grit his teeth and grunt.

“I love it… I love it! It feels good!” He answered right away with fear, believing in her words.

 _“So cute!”_ She mumbles with a smile, doing her best to stay connected, she spins one hundred eighty grades, showing him her round peach and her butthole, expanded and wet from the arousal of sex, renewing on her jumps by holding on his thighs, “If you say it feels good, it makes me enjoy it even more… Takuni… I feel like I’m being such a bad girl, but I can’t stop!”

“Don’t… you think you’re underestimating me!?” The man had snapped by the look of the girl taking control of him. Easily taking possession of her rear with both hands, he got up from the cushion and forced her to land in all fours on the sofa, “Fuck, virgins sure are scary, but I can be scary as well, Luna!” He claimed to start on a savage piston-like pounding, he pulled on her left wrist to keep her in place, then leaned over her to kiss her with tongue, “Don’t try to escape… hah! Fuck! Did you think you could get away, you sexy brat…” Takumi pants victorious, having seized the haughty girl he went back to be on top.

“Idiot! Stupid Takuni!” She moaned with a high pitch, her voice quivering on the rhythm of his thrusts, “You idiot! … Y-you…! You dummy! I love you… I love you so much!”

“Luna… Luna, I’m so close!” He screamed in a rampant stroke of speed, relentlessly pounding her tiny crotch.

“Takuni! Takuni… Takuni!” She screamed his name back, digging her nails on his arms, “… Inside!”

By the moment of climax, none of them produced a sound, just a dry whimper, letting the nastiness of the sound of his orgasm filling her and gushing out her crotch be heard, the pink one locked her legs on his waist, “L-Luna I… I need to pull it out…”

“It’s fine… I don’t care… I don’t mind if… I get pregnant… stay with me like this, please… Takuni…” Luna requested him with a little smile, they kissed in agreement. After ten long minutes he pulled it out, soppy on their liquids, Takumi sits on the cushion where her head is resting, placing her head over his thigh, the girl replies by slowly licking on his member, caressing it with the tips of her fingers and sucking on his trunk, “Is getting hard again… hehehe… Can I really do it again…? Maybe I can… nanora.”

“Luna… you’re so freaking sexy,” He whispers with a sarcastic huff, pinching her left nipple and enjoying the slobbering.

The cloudless morning of May and its warm winds welcomed the people queuing at the outside of the _Akasaka Blitz_. Waiting for their turn to buy their ticket entrance for the piano recital, with people on the sides taking pictures behind a huge poster of Luna plastered on the walls. 

“It is finally time for your revenge, are you ready?” Takumi asked the pink girl through his phone, unable to walk inside backstage, this time the man sat with the rest of the people, Matsuri to his side, the boys and girls from the music school on the beginner and intermediate levels, the professors, and even the director, the entire school presented to the solo recital of the small girl.

_“LUNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA YOU CAN DO IT!”_

They screamed on a huge wave of excitement through the speaker of the phone, from the other side of the stage, Luna laughed uncontrollably at the thunderous roar coming from her phone and the echo slowly reaching into her room naturally. “Thank you for coming to see me… I love you Takuni… I love all of you…!” She whimpers cleaning her face from anticipated tears, “This time for real… I won’t disappoint any of you nanora! I’ll go to have fun!” Shouting happily, her tears of happiness were replied with another deafening scream before she hangs out the call.

With a new aggressive attitude, the blue-haired woman commanded everyone to keep silent, just like the last time, the movie from before started rolling on the curtains by the light of a projector. At the end of her narration, the audience gently clapped, fearing another scold of the woman, making her smile in delight, she coughed a little and waited for the lights to be switch back on, extending her right arm and taking a deep breath as the pink girl slowly appeared on the scene, wearing a one-piece, dark-pink nightdress.

“THIS IS HIMEMORI LUNA WITH HER OPENING ACT… SHINY SMILY STORY!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The current Akasaka Blitz is actually permanently closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. I'll be taking February off from publishing works in here and in my own VTuber project. Will probably come back in the last week of the month or at the beginning of March. Such is the way I went all out writing this story, probably the longest one of the third part. I'm honestly unaware of whatever opinion people may have of writing a story involving Luna (and I also don't care enough) but I hope you enjoy it.


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